A New Start
by tahmid10
Summary: Takes place during the finals with Rakuzan, but follows a different plot. What if Kuroko had unleashed the zone and kept his promise to Momoi by bringing them back together. Now that they are, what happens now, and are things REALLY the same as before? And when offered with the chance to bring back the official GoM, how will Kuroko respond? Here lies the story of the GoM's future.
1. Chapter 1: Not Yet

**Just a heads-up, although this is a pairing between Kuroko and Momoi, there will be hints of Aomine bearing feelings for Momoi, and even possibly a confession. This is my first story, so I'd really prefer some criticism on how to develop better chapters as the story goes on. Also, if you have any ideas for chapters, I'll gladly incorporate them if possible as long as they fit my taste. Also, I don't think I'm going to pair up Hyuga and Riko Aida, or anybody else as a matter of fact. ESPECIALLY the GoM, the whole yaoi thing is uncomfortable to me...**

**Anyways enjoy! And feel free to mention if there is a lack of detail of if its going to fast and needs more details per event and such.**

Chapter 1: This isn't over yet!

They wouldn't last much longer. Seirin had been faced with numerous situations where victory seemed to be an impossible feat i.e. their match against Touou, Shuutoku, and Kaijo during the Winter High Tournament. Yet even Kuroko realized how hopeless this situation was.

The first 5 minutes of the game against Rakuzan had been completely one-sided, with their starters besting Seirin's players in every way. Their players were superior in every category; from Nebuya overpowering Kiyoshi in the key, to Mibuchi scoring up more threes than Hyuga can even shoot, and to even Mayuzumi's mimicry of Kuroko's misdirection. And not to mention the captain of the GoM, Seijuro Akashi was leading Rakuzan the whole time. And what made it so frustrating for Kuroko you ask? It was the fact that he was forced to watch it all go on from the bench while his teammates' hopes and wills were crushed before his very eyes.

For the second time in his whole basketball career, Kuroko was forced to accept to the drastic truth. An overpowered loss was completely inevitable; it was just like their first match against Touou all over again.

"Kuso…." Riko Aida cursed to herself as Akashi stole the ball from Izuki _yet again _and scored. She continued to watch as her players get pummeled on the court, powerless to do anything to change the flow of the game. They seemed to have lost any chance of winning. Even though Kagami was on-court as the seconds ticked by, even he was powerless in the face of Akashi who was performing ankle breakers one after another as if it was as simple as breathing.

As of now, they had their best line up possible, Izuki in as PG, Hyuga playing SG, Kawahara replacing Kuroko's place on the court as SF, Kagami in the usual PF, and Kiyoshi in the C position. Yet the best they could do was merely slow down the rate at which Rakuzan scored. Every now and then they managed to get a point when they would catch Nebuya by surprise or move past Mibuchi. Regardless, getting the ball near Akashi practically meant an automatic steal and turnover for them.

"Dammit… is this as far as we go? What now senpai, can't we do anything to stop this? This isn't even a match anymore, its slaughter!" Koganei pleaded as the bench members looked at Aida, hoping she would come up with the solution to their problems.

Normally, even in dire situations, Aida had been able to provide the silver lining Seirin needed to prevail when their usual measures failed and Kuroko had no trick up his sleeve. Yet even she was at a loss now in the face of Rakuzan's overpowering team. They were simply no match for 3 Uncrowned Kings and a GoM player.

"Sorry, but there's absolutely nothing you can do. This match was decided the second you beat Kise and Kaijou in the semi-finals. It's pointless to continue trying." said a random, yet familiar voice from behind them. The Seirin team looked behind them at the stands, where they spotted Aomine, Momoi, Midorima, Kise and their respective teams spectating from front-row seat in the audience. "Yo." Aomine waved lamely as he continued to spectate the match, disregarding what he just said.

"Eh heh, I know it seems kinda harsh, but Aominecchi is spot on for once." Kise stated. Ignoring the protest from Aomine, he looked towards the court, a serious and stern face replacing his usual happy go-lucky one, and continued on.

"This isn't exactly new. All of Rakuzan's matches have been one-sided up till now, although it's to be expected with Akashicchi leading them". Seeing the crestfallen look on the faces of Seirin, he tried to lighten the mood. "But you guys never cease to amaze me. 5 minutes in, and you're only done by 25 heh heh." Kise replied nervously while scratching the back of his head, trying to get their hopes up, but it seemed his attempts fell on deaf ears, as the member of Seirin looked down, the light in their eyes having already faded.

Kasamatsu, captain of Kaijo, looked towards the court, watching the slaughter continue on without any signs of let up. "Crap, I heard that they were undefeatable, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I've never seen such a one-sided match before in my life in such a short amount of time. To think we would've had to go up against them if we won against you guys. Almost makes me glad we lost in the semi-finals with some dignity." Kasamatsu said as he looked on.

"It's to be expected. Indeed Rakuzan on its own is quite the formidable opponent, what with their obtaining of 3 Uncrowned Kings. But with the addition of Akashi, their potential has skyrocketed, entering into a league of their own. With Akashi high intellectual abilities, alongside his Emperor's Eyes, it's unquestionable why a first-year like him became captain. They practically have no need for a coach." Imayoshi of Touou replied, re-adjusting his glasses while analyzing the game.

"Akashi's Emperor's Eye practically renders all forms of offense and defense useless due to his ability to strike at each individual's weakpoints. I can't seem to find any weakpoints in his ability." Imayoshi continued.

"Not to mention the fact that Kuroko's lack of presence has disappeared. Without it, Kuroko is just an average player with a mediocre shot. Without him, there isn't much of a bright future for this game, if there even was one in the first place. Who would've thought that progressing would've worked against him" Takao of Shuutoku said.

Midorima followed up Takao's statement. "Even if he had progressed at a similar rate during his time with us at Teiko, it wouldn't have diminished his lack of presence. Back then, he still would've been shadowed by the overwhelming presence of the GoM players. But here, in Seirin, there aren't many players who can overshadow him excluding Kagami, and I'm afraid just he isn't enough to shroud Kuroko's presence" Midorima said firmly, never taking his eyes of the game.

"Even with Kagami on the court, it's just a lost cause isn't it…?" Koganei muttered as he looked away.

"To think we'd have to go against this next year too. There's no point in even continuing after this year…" Tsuchida followed up, looking down crestfallen.

Satsuki Momoi said nothing and just stared at Kuroko, who continued to portray a deadpan poker face, making it impossible to tell what he's feeling. "Tetsu-kun…." Momoi whispered worryingly.

**Momoi POV**

She hated it. Nothing was the same ever since they graduated from Teiko Middle School. Momoi began to reminisce, to back in the days of Teiko where they all happily got along, acting like an actual family would. Of course, they had their conflicts, ranging from Ki-chan and Aomine-kun arguing over petty things, to Midorin complaining at Muk-kun to eat with his mouth closed. But those were comparable to that of family and friendly fusses, ones that no one really took seriously. But nowadays, they all looked at each other with cold eyes, eyes that dared each other to start a fight, itching for a chance to show their superiority. Even Ki-chan optimistic façade was easily seen through, if not by the public, then by the original members of their group from back then.

She missed those days; the days where Aomine-kun and Tetsu-kun genuinely smiled on a daily basis. Among their group from back then, Tetsu-kun had changed the least, maintaining his warm and caring personality that was shrouded behind his deadpanned face that hardly every revealed any emotion. Yet even he stopped giving any genuine smiles, as if they were just something he did to make everyone happy, yet never truly feeling happy herself.

And now, looking at him during the game, once again showing a face devoid of any emotions, she wondered. '_Will things ever go back to the way they were?' _

**General POV**

Kuroko merely lay back on the bench and looked at the high ceiling, drowning out the sound of the fans and the game. He went through a series of flashbacks; going back to the first time he met the Seirin members, to witnessing their undying will in the face of defeat, to experiencing the close bonds that they all shared similarly to a family, something that the GoM lacked and he desired during his years at Teiko Middle School.

Kuroko's head snapped back down to the court, being brought back out of his trance by the sound of the buzzer, signaling the end of the first quarter. The score was now 52-23, with Rakuzan holding a comfortable lead in only the first 12 minutes of the game.

"Gomen. I haven't been able to shoot effectively so far. I'm just holding us back as it is right now." Hyuga flopped down onto the bench, drenching himself in ice cold water. Mibuchi's had proven to outmatch him in every aspect of ball, ranging from accuracy to reaction on defense.

"Don't give up!" Kagami roared, his brows knitted together, his face physically strained yet showing not sign of withdrawal. "It doesn't matter if we lose! We've lost before, and I'll gladly accept another. But what I won't accept is if we lose without giving a fight to the very last second!" Kagami yelled at both his teammates on court and on bench.

"That's right! We're not going to let up now, not when there's still so much time on the clock. We fight to the very last point! That's always been Seirin's style, and that will not change now!" Kiyoshi yelled, smiling at Kagami's enthusiasm.

Riko Aida smiled at their shouts. "That's right! If we lose, then we lose. There is nothing more to it. All we can do is gain from this loss, and work for a better future, one where we can be the ones sitting comfortably with that scoreboard showing off in our favor. So for now, ignore the score, play to your hearts' content and show them our ferocity!"

The members of Seirin roared in agreement, their will being revitalized. Kuroko couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. Back at the bleachers Momoi mirrored Kuroko's actions, taking notice of his _genuine_ smile being shown for once. '_It's good to see that he hasn't changed that much. After all, he wouldn't by my Tetsu-kun if he did change.'_

"Ehhh? What the hell are you smiling at? They're getting their asses handed to them." Aomine yelled over the crowd at Momoi, noticing the smile that traced along her face. Momoi did nothing but shake her head. "You wouldn't understand Aomine-kun. They have something that we never had back in the day. After noticing that, I think I finally understand why Kuroko chose to join such a team."

Aomine, not understanding what the hell she was talking about, shook it off. '_All this thinking is just pointless. Regardless of what happens, the outcome is still the same. They're going to lose.'_ "So why do they bother to struggle so hard?" Aomine asked to himself.

Kise, sitting by his team to the left of Aomine and Touou, raised an eyebrow at the sight, impressed at how little it took to bring their spirits back up. Like a wizard casting a spell over their bench, the mutual spirit of Seirin was lifted by the starting players' refusal to accept defeat.

~Still on break, Rakuzan's side~

"Sheesh! What a troublesome team. It's like their will is that an iron wall, neh neh Akashi?" Hayama stated, eyeing the members of Seirin.

"Indeed, I'm most impressed with their undying spirit and unwavering determination." Mibuchi replied, seemingly staring directly at the opposing bench.

"Though I cannot say that I am satisfied with the game play they've shown us. I am most disappointed in them, namely Kuroko. I'm quite shocked he so carelessly diminished his lack of presence with even being aware of it." Mibuchi continued on.

"Regardless, their lack of experience on-court is quite evidently depicted through their actions on-court and their coach's decision-making. This match has already been decided." Akashi said to his team.

He looked towards the bench of Seirin. Although his words carried utmost confidence in his victory, he could help but feel a shroud of doubt, most likely from the unanswered question in his head. '_So why do they continue to fight back. How can they still maintain their will for victory. Why do you continue to get in my way Kuroko?_'

"Screw experience and what-not, this is fuckin' annoying. We should be destroying them by now. Akashi! Do something about this!" Nebuya yelled at Akashi while drying his face with a towel.

"…" Akashi sat down on the bench, and looked at the ground for several seconds before replying to Nebuya's demands.

"We'll start by taking over Kagami and Kuroko. From what I can observe, Kagami is what is holding their team together and revitalizing their will. And without I doubt, I'm positive that Kuroko will continue to encourage his teammates. But by overpowering Kagami and besting his will to fight back, Kuroko will most definitely fall, seeing his light being destroyed. Seirin will naturally fall in line behind them, seeing their two aces go down." Akashi replied to all four other members of his starting line-up.

"Neh neh, lemme take him on Akashi! I'll blow past Kagami with just three of my fingers!" Hayama pointed with three fingers upwards, gesturing which fingers he meant.

"Hell no! Leave him to me! I'll posterize him and make him fall on his ass like a sissy! The best way to beat him his by makin' him look like an amateur!" Nebuya argued back at Hayama.

"No, he's mine. With Kuroko off the field, I'm getting bored of that Kawahara runt. He can't even keep his eyes on me." Mayuzumi, the so-called new model of Phantom Sixth Man jumped in. "I'll make it impossible for him to even get a hand on the ball. The best way to beat him is to make him feel useless."

Nebuya, Hayama and Mayuzumi began bickering amongst themselves over who would personally take on Kagami, while Mibuchi sat alongside them and sighed at their immaturity. Akashi kept his head down and let them argue for a good 10 seconds before jumping in.

"_**Enough.**_" Akashi's calm and firm voice gained the immediate attention of all four starters.

"Enough of this useless bickering, or else there **will **be consequences."

Mayuzumi, Nebuya and Hayama ceased their argument immediately, fully aware of Akashi's serious attitude and that he never bluffs when it comes to threats.

Akashi continued on. "Kagami will be guarded by me personally. We will maintain our current positions as it is." Akashi looked onto the court, where the referee was about to signal the start of the second quarter. His eyes darkened and a sinister look feel upon his face, one that threatened disaster for whoever it was pointed at. "I'll beat him at his own game and challenges and make him regret daring to defy me." '_And then I'll show you just how futile your efforts are Kuroko._'

The referee blew the whistle and both teams sent out their lineup.

'_After all, I'm never wrong_'

~On-Court~

Both teams sent out their line-ups onto the court, with each player marking the opponent. With Rakuzan on offense, Hayama began dribbling up the court, with Izuki waiting patiently at the end of the court at the tip of the three-point line. Nebuya began pressuring Kiyoshi, boxing him out of the paint in order to get a possible rebound or bounce pass for a score. Hyuga struggled to follow Mibuchi, who was swiftly moving through defenders to get open for a shot, while Mayuzumi would spontaneously appear to place a pick for Mibuchi. And to Seirin's utter confusion, Akashi patiently stood at the corner three-point line, as if to prove that he will not be participating.

Kagami, although bewildered by Akashi's course of action, remained stationary and marked Akashi as his opposing player. "What are you up to Akashi? This better not be you underestimating us…" Kagami growled at Akashi.

"….."

"Oi, at least have the manners to respond when someone is talking to you!" Kagami gritted his teeth as Akashi impassively shook off the intimidation and turned a cold stare at him.

"For starters, I see no reason to talk to someone who clearly does not know his place in front of his superiors. And correction, I am **not** underestimating you. To say such a thing would imply that I am not aware of your true capabilities, which is invalid. In fact, my estimation of your abilities is 100 % accurate and I have concluded that my assistance is no longer needed, as our victory is already assured."

Before Kagami was given the chance to retort, the buzzer went off. Looking at the scoreboard, Kagami noticed the score change from 52-23, to 54-23 in Rakuzan's favor. He had just enough time to see Nebuya hit the ground after pushing Kiyoshi down in the post and hooking in an easy layup.

"…. As I've said, my assistance is no longer needed." Akashi began trailing down the opposite side of the court, setting into a defensive position.

"Kisama….." Kagami grinded his teeth together as he was given the ball by Izuki and began dribbling down the court. Once he reached the other end of the court, he stopped in front of Akashi. "I'll show you what we're really capable of." Kagami bent down low with the ball as his eyes flashed with a glint of red.

'_ So he's entering the zone right at the start is he?_' Akashi thought as Kagami hesitated right and drove to the left of Akashi in an attempt to get past Akashi. Akashi raised his left hand as Kagami first began his original hesitation. '_Thinking you can best me just because you've entered the zone. I'll show you just how foolish it is to challenge me. After all…_' In less than a second, the ball popped out of Kagami's possession, bouncing down the court, with Akashi running after it. '_I can see right through you_'

It took Kagami a split second to realize what had just happened. Hyuga, who was spectating by the corner line, widened his eyes at Akashi's god-like reactions. "Shit! Fast break! Get back on defense, NOW!" Yet their effort was in vain as Akashi had already scored a simple layup by the time Kagami had reached the half-court line.

As Akashi passed by Kagami to return to his side of the court, he eyed Kagami. "Although it is quite impossible, I challenge you then. Show me that I was wrong and show me what you're capable of". And with that, Akashi returned to his side of the court.

"Bastard…." Kagami cursed to himself, frustrated by his inability to surpass Akashi.

Kiyoshi patted Kagami on the back as he passed him on his way down the court on offense. "Don't let him get to you. We're still gonna need you if we're going to win. If you can't beat him, that's fine. That's what you have us for. We're a team after all." Kiyoshi smiled at Kagami before walking down the court. Kagami stared at him as he walked down the court, before a smack to the head woke him up from his trance. He cursed and began rubbing his sore spot as he turned around to see Hyuga scowling at him.

"What the fuck Hyuga?!" Kagami growled at him, further deepening the scowl on Hyuga's face.

"Don't get all whiney on us now. Who cares if he scares on you? We'll just get it back." Hyuga said before passing Kagami. But as he passed him, he put his hand on Kagami's shoulder and leaned towards his ear.

"We still need you on the team, so get it together already." And with that, he followed in Kiyoshi's steps. Kagami did nothing but stare, before he began chuckling to himself. "That's right…" He said to himself, before looking up, the light back in his eyes. "This ain't over yet!"

Akashi, noticing it all go down, slightly frowned at the sight. '_It seems Kagami and Kuroko are not the only one posing a threat to our victory as it is. Best to take care of them all at once, or else they'll just bring each other back up._' He then turned to Nebuya and Mibuchi, who had also noticed the scene. Mibuchi nodded his head and Nebuya grinned to himself, both understanding Akashi's intention as if a silent message passed through them.

"Kagami." Akashi called out to Kagami, who turned his head in Akashi's direction in response. He flinched at the sight of Akashi, whose hair, as short as it was, draped over his eyes. The glare that could be seen through his hair bore into Kagami, making his stomach queasy and uncomfortable. Akashi lifted his head, his dichromatic eyes piercing into Kagami.

"We'll show you. The true power of Rakuzan. The true meaning of despair and failure."

~In-Game~

The score was currently 56-25. Izuki inbounded the ball to Hyuga, who dribbled down the court and stopped at the three-point line. Planting both feet on the ground and both hands on the ball, he looked directly at the hoop…

!

Only for his view to be directly blocked by Mibuchi, who had jumped to block him.

'_The hell?! When did he get so close? Shit!_'

At the last second, Hyuga pulled out of his shot set-up and bounce passed the ball to Kiyoshi, who was waiting in the post in the key.

With both hands on the ball, Kiyoshi began dribbling in the post, in an attempt to force back Nebuya.

!

'_Normally, the purpose of the post is to force the defensive player back in order to gain an opening. So why? Why am I the one being pushed back?_' Kiyoshi thought to himself as he failed to gain any distance on Nebuya, who pushed Kiyoshi off like a brick wall. Noticing the shot clock dwindle down, Kiyoshi made a quick decision, side-stepping and attempting to hook in a right-handed layup.

"UWAAAAAHHH MUSCLE BLOCKKK!" Nebuya aimed his left hand at the ball that was still in Kiyoshi's hand and practically punched the ball out of Kiyoshi's possession.

'_How the hell am I supposed to get passed this guy? I can't even gain any space on him, rather score._' Kiyoshi thought as he landed back on his feet.

The ball bounced its way down to the half-court line, where Akashi gained possession of it. But before he could gain any more distance on Seirin, Kagami landed in front of him, the flash in his eyes signifying his time in the zone still being active.

The next few events happened in less than 5 seconds.

One second, Akashi bended down low and drove towards Kagami.

"I told you already." Akashi said to Kagami..

The next second Kagami bend down low into a defensive stance, prepared to block Akashi's path.

Then in the blink of an eye Kagami was on the floor, with Akashi walking past him with the ball.

"Your attempts at stopping me are absolutely futile." Akashi said before driving down the lane and scoring a wide-open layup. Akashi walked past Kagami, who remained motionless on the court.

Kagami remained flat on the floor, closing his eyes and grinding his teeth together. "Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit!" '_Why can't I stop him? What is it that I'm doing wrong? Why are we so helpless to stop them after all we've been through?_'

~Bench and Spectators~

"Heh heh, looks like we're done for. This game is in the bag for them…" Koganei flopped down on the bench and looked up at the ceiling. "Kuso…. this is so frustrating and humiliating."

"This match has been completely one-sided in Rakuzan's favor since the first quarter, yet they're not even letting up one bit it seems." Kasamatsu said directly to Kise, who looked on with an unsurprised face.

"It's to be expected. Akashi is the type of man who shows no mercy and takes no chances. If he is to remain confident in his abilities and victory, he destroys anything that seems to represent an obstacle in his path." Kise replied back to Kasamatsu.

"But then what could he possible be striving for right now? All I see is Rakuzan simply toying with Seirin's player." Takao stated after hearing Kise's statement.

"Most likely, Akashi-kun is aiming for to break their spirits and will. Seirin is the kind of team that has proven to continue, regardless of the outcome and the unbalance of skill. He most likely intends to destroy their will by humiliating their players, in an attempt to ensure that they do not fight back." Momoi said, while never taking her eyes of Kuroko.

Throughout the whole game, Kuroko remained silent and portrayed no emotion and simply sat on the bench.

The sound of a whistle signified a time-out, and Kuroko looked at Riko Aida questioningly, seeing no purpose in calling for a time-out.

"That wasn't me…" Riko said, bewildered and confused by Rakuzan's choice of actions.

Kuroko frowned slightly in realization.

"They're toying with us." He stated, as the member of Seirin gave him their attention.

"They realize the difference in skill and they're making fun of us for it. It's like they're trampling on our pride and fooling around with us." Kuroko continued.

Kuroko looked directly at Akashi, who looked back directly at him, giving him a smug look of accomplishment before returning to Rakuzan's bench. Noticing the look, Kuroko prepared himself for the onslaught of depression from their returning line-up

Hyuga, Kiyoshi and Izuki came back to the bench with their heads hanging in depression, while Kagami and Kawahara came back with frustrated looks on their faces.

"Sigh. Its hopeless, this match is a lot cause." Hyuga said flopping down on the bench.

"They're not even taking us seriously. This is just entertainment to them." Kiyoshi followed in Hyuga's footsteps.

Momoi looked on sadly at Seirin's members, alongside Aomine, who merely sighed at the sight as if it was expected.

"Well, it seems Akashi finally has this in the bag." Aomine said.

"Mouuu, Aomine-kun. You should be helping Seirin get back on their feet." Momoi complained at Aomine.

"There's no point Momochhi. Their spirits have already been destroyed. Simply getting their hopes up will be a lost cause." Kise replied back to Momoi, who had yet to give up on Seirin.

"What's gotten into you guys? If it were you in their place, Tetsu-kun would always support you! Now he needs our help!" Momoi retorted angrily, swinging her arms around in angry gestures.

"Doing so is futile Momoi. Akashi was unanimously made the captain of Teiko for a reason. Going against will only result in failure, as has been proven during our game and this game as well." Midorima replied back at Momoi. "This match is already over."

Momoi bit her lip frustratingly, refusing to accept the truth.

"**Not yet**."


	2. Chapter 2: My True Potential

Chapter 2: My true potential

"**Not yet**." Everyone turned to Kuroko, who was staring at Rakuzan's bench. He turned to face the members of Seirin. Although there was no emotion being portrayed on his face, everyone could see the determination in his eyes, his resolve to see this game through to the end.

"I want to keep playing. This match is not over yet." Kuroko continued.

"Gomen Kuroko. But this match has already been decided." Kiyoshi said apologetically to Kuroko.

"There's no point in continuing. They have us beat in all ways. Even _I'm_ admitting it Kuroko. It's a lost cause." Kagami replied, looking at the ceiling and hiding his emotions behind a stern face. Kuroko stared at Kagami for several seconds, before walking up to him.

SMACK

!

The members of Seirin and the GoM and their respective teams watched quietly in disbelief at what had just occurred, while Kagami merely held the top of his head in surprise.

Kuroko had walked up to Kagami and smacked Kagami on top of his head. Regardless of the lack of damage it did due to Kuroko's frail body, it has gotten their attention. Kuroko looked at Kagami straight in the eye, full of unwavering determination.

"If you are to give up while I remain standing firm, then how can I remain as your shadow, rather how can you even be considered a light that I am to shadow?" Kuroko asked.

Kagami sat there, unable to respond, be it from a lack of an answer or from the lingering shock of Kuroko's spontaneous actions. After failing to hear an answer, Kuroko looked on to the whole team.

"If you have given up on continuing for the sake of victory, then do it for my sake." Kuroko stated as the members of Seirin sat there confused at Kuroko, unable to understand the meaning behind his words. As if noticing their confusion, Kuroko re-iterated on what he said.

"I joined this team because I was satisfied with what I saw. I didn't just see a group of players coming together to enjoy themselves, what I saw was a _family_. When one member fell, you stayed back and picked them back up. You did not favor, nor did you permit any form of abandonment. During my last year in Teiko, I watched you play. Even as Kiyoshi was injured I watched as you remained strong for his sake." Kuroko lectured.

At the mentioning of the event, Kiyoshi smiled to himself regardless of his fatigue, proud of his members.

"I envied what you all had, and so I made the decision to come here once I graduated. We may not be related through blood, but we ARE related through our feelings and love for basketball. Over the past season, we've developed a strong bond that has leaded us to where we stand, in battle for the top spot of Kyoto. I may not have been a member of Seirin last year, but I would like to consider myself a member of this famil-"

"Of course you're a part of this family!" Riko Aid interrupted Kuroko.

"Baka, it doesn't matter how long you've been a part of this team." Hyuga followed Riko's interruption, while wiping his face with the bottom of his jersey and avoiding eye contact.

"Its like you said, you share the same feelings for basketball that we do. So don't even think for a second that you're not a part of this team." Hyuga said with a scowl that portrayed fake anger. Yet it was quite evident to everyone that Hyuga was proud of the team he led and was touched by Kuroko's words.

At their response, Kuroko smiled before continuing on. "Then I ask you to help me. I left Teiko and the GoM with but one goal, and that was to contradict their style of basketball. I disagree with their beliefs of victory being the only thing necessary. We did not play as a team, we only acted and played for ourselves and never truly established the bond I see before me. I want defeat to Akashi-kun here and now to prove two things, that this type of basketball is superior, and that his so-called assured victory is but a false illusion that has misguided the GoM in the past. So please, I beg of you to endure and strive till the end."

….

….

….

Kuroko ended on that note and waited for what seemed like an eternity before a reply was heard.

….

….

….

"You were there for us when we needed you." Kiyoshi replied with a smile on his face.

"When victory seemed like a dream against teams like Touou and Shuutoku, you provided us with a miracle, the light that we followed to victory. So now it's our turn to return the favor. For once, it seems like it's you who needs us, and I don't intend to keep it that way." Kiyoshi replied strongly while getting off the bench and raising a fist.

"Yosh!" Koganei yelled before following in Kiyoshi's footsteps. Slowly, one by one, the members of Seirin raised up, the will in their eyes revitalized once again.

Riko Aida laughed as she found tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she watched yet another phenomenon occur right before her very eyes.

"Riko-san" She snapped her head towards the direction of the voice, seeing Kuroko smiling at her while extending out a hand in her direction.

"We're going to need every single player to commit if we are to win, especially a coach who can lead us to victory. So will you help us?" Kuroko asked to Aida while everyone looked at her expectantly.

Covering her eyes with her arms and wiping off any dangling tears, she looked back at Kuroko and nodded. "Mhm!"

* * *

~Stands behind the bench~

"Sugoi! Kurokocchi really is amazing neh Kasamatsu-san?" Kise asked the captain of Kaijou jubilantly with a twinkle of admiration at Kuroko in his eyes.

Although Kasamatasu didn't respond, it was evident that he was quite surprised by the turnout of the events; especially after the beat-down Rakuzan had served to Seirin. Midorima showed almost no reaction to the phenomenon, but a slight quirk of his lips moving upwards into a smile placed, an action that Takao had no failed to take notice of.

'_Even managing to change the members of GoM, you are quite something_ _aren't you__ Kuroko_' Takao thought to himself.

Momoi laughed happily and smiled before looking at Aomine, who had an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"I think we all can see why Kuroko was going against the GoM now. And to be honest, I envy him a little. I can't help but find myself falling head over heels for him all over again. He truly is special." Momoi said while resting her head on her arm while leaving over the stand's guard rails.

Aomine, seeing the smile Momoi had after seeing Kuroko, could not help but feel a twinge of depression and frowned; an action that went unnoticed by Momoi and the rest. "Yeah, he truly is something isn't he…"

"Anooo." The spectators and Seirin looked at where the voice came from. They all turned to see Mitobe, who shrunk from all the stares he received. "I hate to ruin the mood- and of course I want to win and continue to see this through as well!" Mitobe replied quickly before anyone could misunderstand his intentions to be negative and depressing.

"It's just that…. How do we intend to beat them? I mean of course we can keep trying, but it won't be any different than before unless we all somehow boost our skills in the last 4 minutes of this timeout." Mitobe replied. The members of Seirin sat in silence at that thought, unable to come up with an answer.

They had gotten so caught up in the mood that they failed to realize the problem at hand.

"You won't have to boost your skills or such a thing." Everyone looked at Kuroko.

They all shared a face that showed bewilderment, and an earning for Kuroko to continue on.

"While you have all been playing on-court, I've taken notice of several of their habits, some that can turn out to potential become fatal flaws that will lead us to victory."

!

The members of Seirin and the GoM were surprised by Kuroko's response.

At the stands, Momoi began giggling for a second at the sight, as if realizing something. The rest of the GoM and their respective teams looked at her, some being confused at what could have possibly made her laugh in such a situation, while others were concerned that she found enjoyment in this one-sided match. Although they all were curious as to why she had laughed, Kise was the only one who bothered to ask.

"Neh Momochhi, what's so funny?" Kise asked at Momoi, who looked at him and then smiled softly. "I just realized. The fact that he noticed such things shows something. Even all this time, it seems he hadn't given up on his team, always looking for a way out."

Realizing how correct Momoi was, Kise couldn't help but smile and chuckle. He looked out to the bench where Kuroko and the others were. "Unlike us, he hasn't changed at all has he?" Kise asked rhetorically, yet Momoi still answered. "That's right. And I'm glad he hadn't. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Tetsu-kun~" Momoi said while smiling brightly at Kise. Several members of Touou, Shuutoku and Kaijou did 180s inside at the sight of Momoi's beautiful smile. They all shared a similar thought.

'_Kawaiiiii!_'

* * *

~Seirin Bench~

"Well? Don't leave us hanging like this, tell us what you know Kuroko!" Hyuga urged Kuroko, desperate to gain some leverage on Rakuzan. Kuroko looked onto the court and stared at Rakuzan's bench.

"To start off with Mibuchi, it may be true that his skill as a shooter surpasses yours Hyuga-san, but it comes with a cost. He tends to favor a certain set-up, where his right foot is planted slightly in front of his left. To follow it up, his set-up is unnaturally long." Kuroko stated. Hyuga merely stared confusingly. "But what does that have to do with beating him?" Hyuga asked. Riko Aida jumped in, as if realizing Kuroko's intentions.

"Basically, he needs to be in his comfort zone in order to shoot properly. Although it may seem difficult, you'll have to force him out of his comfort zone by not giving him a chance to establish his set-up." Riko Aida looked at Kuroko, as if confirming whether she had gotten his intention correct.

Kuroko his head in confirmation before continuing on. "As for Mayuzumi, Izuki will be better fit to guard him, what with his eagle eye in use. I'm confident that he'll be able to keep an eye on Mayuzumi as long as Mayuzumi is all that Izuki pays attention to. Just like me, if Mayuzumi loses his lack of presence, than his impact on the outcome will diminish directly."

Riko nodded and looked at Izuki. "Fine, Kawahara and Izuki. You two will be switching. Izuki, your eyes are to remain on no one but Mayuzumi. Even if the ball is in range of being stolen, don't think your eyes of him, or else he'll disappear and mis-direct the balls flow of movement."

Izuki nodded in confirmation.

"Furthermore, Kiyoshi-san will be unable to properly fend off Nebuya, what with his ankle injury acting up once again. Therefore, I believe switching Kagami-kun onto Hayama will give him the option to double-team Nebuya from up-front. Hayama is not a shooter, so if he does get an open chance, he'll most likely take it into the hoop. With Kagami-kun's superiority in jumping, I am confident you can block him does the need arise." Kuroko stated while staring at Kagami. Kagami did nothing but grin at Kuroko and nod his head in agreement.

"Anoo…" Everyone looked at Kawahara, who began shaking in his boots.

"Its not that I'm arguing, but…. doesn't that mean I'm to guard Akashi….." Kawahara began sweating fervently at the mere thought of having to do so.

'_I'll be made a fool out of in front of public. Even my family's watching…_'

"That won't be necessary." Everyone looked at Kuroko, who held a determined glint in his eyes. He then looked at Riko, who was already aware of what he was going to ask.

"Switch me in for Kawahara-kun, senpai. I'll be the one to guard Akashi-kun."

!

The member of Seirin all held a face of shock and disbelief at Kuroko's actions. Up until now, all his decision on reforming their defense had been logical, yet no one could see the reason behind his switch with Kawahara.

"Kuroko, although I can see why you're a better choice than Kawahara seeing as how you've played with Akashi and I have no intentions of diminishing your worth, what can you do without your lack of presence?" Riko asked questioningly at Kuroko.

….

Kuroko remained silent as if pondering over an answer. Several seconds later, he stared at her.

"Do you believe me?" He asked.

"…..Eh?" Riko said cleverly. Kuroko, seeing her lack of comprehension, re-iterated. "Do you have faith in me?" he asked. After several seconds, Riko smiled and nodded her head silently.

"Then trust me when I say this, I WILL bring our team back and win this match, not just for my goal, but for the sake of all the effort we put into getting here as a team." Kuroko said. The members of Seirin did nothing but smile, not questioning Kuroko's conviction and intentions for a split-second.

"What do you plan to do then? It's not that we doubt you Kuroko, but if there's anyway we can help, then it's our job to assist our teammates. Just say the word." Kiyoshi replied confidently at Kuroko while bumping his own chest with his right fist. Kuroko smiled at Kiyoshi and shook his head.

"No, I can do it on my own Kiyoshi-san. I've been thinking for awhile and I've come to the realization that I'm going to need to put it all on the line if we're to win. All I ask is that you all just endure for the time being." And with that, Kuroko left and prepared to be subbed in.

Hyuga did nothing but stare in confusion. '_What does he mean "all on the on line", has he been holding back? But that's impossible, he hasn't shown any trump card, even against Touou who we barely managed to beat._' Hyuga did nothing but shake the thoughts out of his head, focusing on the task at hand; stopping Mibuchi. Although he hardly had any confidence in his abilities to stop Mibuchi, he trusted Kuroko, and planned to rely on that to bring them to victory.

"Why do you continue to defy me?"

!

At the sound of the new voice, the Seirin members turned their head, shock written on their faces as Akashi had walked his way over to their bench. Kuroko held no reaction as he stared intently at him.

"Akashi-kun."

"Tell me. Why do you defy my will yet again? Our promise remains intact, yet I see no reason for the continuation of your struggle, as the one who is superior has already been decided. If this were Midorima or Aomine I was referring to, choosing to endure would seem logical, but for you, who dominates only in the aspect of assisting others, does not have any possible way of showing superiority to me." Akashi lectured Kuroko, completely ignoring the rest of the members of, much to their chagrin.

"Oi, what makes you think you can just waltz in here?" Kagami yelled at Akashi, who gave no response to his question, as if ignoring his actual presence.

….

….

"Oi, quit it with the silent treatment you ba-" "**Urusai**"

Kagami and the members of Seirin flinched at Akashi overpowering voice that seemed to amplify his presence in front of them, producing what seemed as a hallucination of an overpowering dark aura that enveloped Akashi. Akashi turned and glared at Kagami, who couldn't help but sweat and feel slightly queasy under the harsh and sinister glare that screamed danger.

"My conversation is with Kuroko and Kuroko alone; as such it is of none of your concern. I see no reason to establish a conversation with you." And with that, Akashi returned his attention to Kuroko, who kept on a poker face throughout the whole situation.

"Please answer my question Kuroko. I'm currently unable to devise the answer for myself and thus, I demand to know the reason behind your futile actions." Akashi kept on a neutral face, with Kuroko returning the expression while the Seirin members looked on in concern for Kuroko's response and its outcome.

"I have a goal that I intend to accomplish and that includes winning this match. This is not just a simple match for the championships to me." Kuroko glared at Akashi, who remained unfazed, before continuing on. "This is a battle of wills and skill. I'll show you our superior concept of basketball and the flaws of your style." Akashi glared at Kuroko while the members of Seirin began sweating unconsciously due to the tension in the air.

"Regardless of what your goal is, it revolves around your need to achieve victory in this match, but I fail to see such a future. Your loss is imminent and the difference in our skills is clearly eviden-

"**Don't speak as if you understand me.**" Kuroko's eyes hardened while they portrayed a deadly glare that was clearly directed at Akashi. The members of Seirin and GoM flinched at Kuroko's reaction, unaware that Kuroko had such a side to his personality. Coming from Kuroko, who was naturally quite the calm and quiet boy, this form of outburst had clearly caught everyone off guard. Akashi had been no exception, although he merely raised an eyebrow at Kuroko's response.

"**In Teiko, you had no concern for the well-being of our relationship. You, Kise-kun, Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun and Murasakibara-kun, ALL of you held no care for the suffering you put me and Momoi-san through. And when my passes were no longer needed…**" at this point, Kuroko had looked towards the stands at Aomine-kun, his cold glare being replaced by one of loneliness and depression as his voice began taking a more softer and quieter tone. "When I was no longer needed, you just threw me aside, victory being all you cared about…."

Kise and Aomine looked away, a guilty expression written all over their face, fully aware of what Kuroko was referring too. Momoi, while not being involved in the personal conflict between the GoM players, was also aware of the situation and looked at Kuroko sympathetically, comprehending his pain that she was forced to endure as well.

Kuroko took his gaze of Aomine and looked back at Akashi, the usual poker face missing and being replaced by an emotion one would refer to as anger, something that was practically never seen on Kuroko's face, albeit the time with Kirisaki Daichi high school.

"So please don't act like you understand me Akashi-kun. I've changed from back then. I'll prove to you just how much I've changed, and I'll show you what you all lost when you chose to throw me aside." Kuroko finished with an unwavering glare that rivaled Akashi's current one. The tension at the moment reached an all time high, where literally everyone in the stadium was aware and watching the two stare each other down. Seirin, who was on the bench next to them, were forced to endure the overwhelming pressure, squirming and sweating from anxiety and stress due to the intensity.

* * *

~Momoi's POV~

Momoi, for the first time in all her life, witnessed an angry Kuroko. She had not been present during the game with Kirisaki Daichi, and thus had not witnessed Kuroko's outrage at their dirty play. Even back when they played in Teiko, she had never seen Kuroko lose his cool. The quiet and mysterious teenager and never been one to show his anger, at least not in public. And in that split second, she came to a conclusion.

Alongside his depressing face, this was one emotion that she hated and felt was not meant for Kuroko.

During their time in Teiko, Kuroko and Momoi were both forced to endure the stress from the drastic changes the GoM was going through. While they all became cold-hearted and narrow-minded towards victory, Kuroko had been the one to maintain his personality, and Momoi sought for warmth and relief in that. She had concluded that when she had asked him that question on that fateful day…

_Flashback-_

_A younger Momoi Satsuki was walking alongside Kuroko Tetsuya as they walked home from practice. While Satsuki would normally being squealing inside and fawning over Kuroko walking her home, such a thing was uncalled for at the moment, due to the distancing between the member of GoM._

_Satsuki halted in her tracks, with Kuroko walking a bit further before noticing her lack of presence alongside him. It seems that he too had been deeply immersed in thought, most likely about the same issue. _

"_Momoi-san?" Kuroko called out to Satsuki, who kept her head down._

"_Tetsu-kun…." Satsuki looked up at Kuroko, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "We're going to be okay right? Everyone, we're going to stay together right?" Satsuki looked at Kuroko pleadingly, searching for the answer she hoped for and any hope in his eyes._

_Kuroko froze in his tracks at Satsuki's question. To be honest, he himself had been wondering the same thing. He had felt lost and had no knowledge of how to resolve the conflict in Teiko. He was fully aware of the lack of satisfaction that the GoM had, which had resulted in their cold demeanor and lack of passion, yet had no idea on how to fix it. Kuroko debated on whether to tell her the truth or to maintain this façade and avoid the imminent outcome.. _

_Yet after taking a look at her, noticing her tearing eyes and desperate face, the decision had been made at once. Kuroko smiled softly and walked up to her._

_!_

_ Satsuki's eyes widened in shock and surprise at Kuroko walked up to her and held her in his arms. Looking up, she noticed the smile on his face and his bright eye, full of hope; she could not help but smile as well. "Of course Momoi-san. We're always going to stay together, no matter the obstacle." Kuroko paused before adding on. "And if not, just remember that I will be here to provide you with arms to lean on when needed."_

_ Although she took notice of the doubt in his voice, she chose to accept his answer and bask in the warmth he provided. She snuggled up close and responded to his hug, placing her arms that were tucked in on his shoulder and held tightly._

_Flashback end-_

And he had kept that promise. While they did end up splitting up, he had kept his promise and been there for her. When she had come to him for support after Aomine snapped at her, he had welcomed her with open arms. He had remained as the pillar she leaned on when she was stressed and the served as the path she followed when she was lost. When he had broken down after the GoM split, she felt the frustration he had held pent up inside. The tears on his face brought tears to hers as she wept frustrated with her inability to react and be there for him like he had for her. Yet she knew that she alone would not be able to fill the void that all five member of GoM had left in him when they practically abandoned him.

And she hated herself when she chose to follow Aomine to Touou rather than be with Kuroko when he himself seemed lost. And when she told him, she felt frustrated at the smile on Kuroko's face when he said he completely understood and wished her the best of luck. Although she had been split between supporting Aomine and Kuroko, her conscience pressured her to follow her childhood friend, saying that Kuroko would be able to take care of himself.

Looking at him now, she could conclude that her conscience had been right. But she could not help but feel regret at how distant their relationship became, which had been evident when they re-united and questioned how it would've been if she followed Kuroko. She imagined herself down there on the bench with Seirin, alongside Kuroko and smiling at the family in front of her. As such, she looked at Aomine and wondered how he would react if she chose to transfer to Seirin.

* * *

~Back to Seirin bench~

Akashi and Kuroko maintained their glares at each other. Akashi, while impressed at Kuroko's boldness and development, did not portray such feelings and remained silent. After some time, he turned around and began walking back to his bench, but halted while merely turning his head sideways so his voice was heard.

"That face is not meant for you Kuroko… Someone who is below me has no right to stare down at me. I hope you realize it before its too late." And with that he walked down the court to his bench. The referee signaled the thirty second warning.

Kuroko turned around to Riko. "Please sub me in senpai. We're running out of time." Riko Aid, like the rest of Seirin was still in shock at Kuroko's outburst and what had just happened.

"**Senpai.**" Riko shook her head out of the trance and looked at Kuroko. "Uh… Y-Yeah. Sure, but are you alright." Riko had been concerned after witnessing Kuroko's outburst, not sure of how to react to his new side of personality.

Kuroko nodded his head and responded. "I'm fine senpai, just please hurry and signal the substitution before its too late.

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of Rakuzan's timeout.

"Black Team! Substitution!" The referee yelled. While Rakuzan had made no adjustments, Seirin chose to make a substitution.

!

To say everyone was shocked at their substitution was an understatement. "Are you frikin' kidding me?" Aomine said with wide-eyes as the rest of the spectators watched with jaws gaping at Seirin's decision. "What does he plan to do..." Kise talked to himself, yet it was quite evident that they were all sharing a similar thought. Momoi brought a hand up to her mouth and muffled out a name. "Tetsu-kun..."

On court, Akashi's eyes widened, yet he maintained his posture as the surprise in his eyes diminished. He walked up to their substitution. "I was aware of your desire to act, but I did not expect you to act to rashly and impulsively Kuroko."

Kuroko responded by merely adjusting Ogiwara's wristbands on his wrist and glared at Akashi. "I meant it when I said that I would show you how much I changed." The referee blew the whistle, signaling the start of the third quarter. "Now I'll show you. My **true **potential.


	3. Chapter 3: The Comeback is Real

Chapter 3: Kuroko in Zone? Comeback is Real

The 3rd quarter had just begun with the score being 60-34 in Rakuzan's favor. Although Seirin had gained a huge morale boost and some momentum from Kuroko, they were still slacking behind score-wise, while Kuroko had yet to reveal any secrets. Nebuya inbounded the ball to Akashi, who began dribbling down court while eyeing all players on-court. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Kuroko out of his mind.

'_Almost 2 minutes have passed, what is Tetsuya planning? This can't possibly be what he was referring to when he mentioned showing his true potential_'

Shaking off the thought, he focused back in-game, where Kagami had confronted him. Noticing the fire and glint in Kagami's eyes, Akashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "When will you learn that you cannot possibly overcome me? Entering the zone is futile and you're merely speeding up the inevitable." Akashi spoke to Kagami.

Kagami lowered down in his stance in response and _growled._ Akashi raised an eyebrow at Kagami's reaction, clearly unfazed by Kagami's intimidation. "Hauuuu, you really do resemble a wild beast. One that has a lack of common sense, that is. Truly a befitting comparison.

"It doesn't matter if I can't beat you, that's what my teammates are for. And I have faith in Kuroko, he's brought us out of a drop before, he can do it again." Kagami replied to Akashi. Akashi narrowed his eyes menacingly at Kagami. "I doubt someone of you capability would understand, but _I _was the one who unleashed Tetsuya's latent potential. If there is anyone who knows his limits, it's _me._

Kagami smirked at Akashi's comment. "Hmph, for a guy who's responsible for Kuroko's development, you don't seem to know him at all. I don't know what he was like back at Teiko, but if he says he'll bring us back then you better believe _he'll bring us back_.

Akashi's eye twitched slightly as he began losing patience. He made a split decision to snap a one-handed pass to Hayama, yet failed to notice one thing. He failed to notice how alongside Mayuzumi, _Kuroko _had also somehow gone missing from the court, his presence completely fading. Hayama held out his hands in order to catch the ball….

!

All players on court, and spectators including the respective team's benches watched in shock as Kuroko seemed to pop out of nowhere and steal the ball. It took a second for the Seirin starters to comprehend what just happened before responding.

"A- A STEAL! Fast break, go GO!" Hyuga screamed as they ran down court. Mayuzumi stepped in front of Kuroko in order to halt his progress. He blinked for a second and his eyes widened when he saw that Kuroko had vanished from in front of him.

"Mayuzumi! Behind you, you frikin' idiot!" Nebuya screamed at Mayuzumi who turned his head to see Kuroko pull of for the famous phantom shot right after performing a flawless Vanishing Drive. A ring sounded throughout the stadium as two points were added to Seirin on the scoreboard. 60-36

"Uwoohhhhh! Sugoi! Seirin scored!"

"But where did that guy come from to get the steal, it's like he teleported!"

"AND he scored right after. Seirin is still in this!"

The crowd began going wild at Kuroko's spontaneous ferocity in the 3rd Quarter.

"He… He did it… He scored! Kuroko scored! We're still in this!" Koganei screamed and jumped off the bench from Seirin's bench, the others following in his footsteps.

"Urusai! Don't get your hopes up just yet. We're still behind by double digits." Riko Aida scolded the members of Seirin. Yet while doing so, she was unable to restrain the smile that danced across her face at Kuroko's success. While scolding them, only one thought went through her head.

'_We have a chance. We have a chance! We can still win!_'

~Spectating Stands~

"Wh- What just…What just happened?" Kasamatsu asked to no one in particular, since they were all thinking the same thing.

"Kurokocchi…. vanished?" Kise said afterwards. Even the members of GoM were at a lack of words, this phenomenon being one that even Midorima was unable to comprehend. "Not only did he vanish from everyone's sight, he also managed to perform a flawless Vanishing Drive on _Mayuzumi _of all people, the so-called new model of Phantom Sixth Man." Midorima said after Kise.

"AND, he followed that up with Phantom Shot instantaneously right afterwards…." Aomine said after Midorima.

Momoi watched alongside the others. While she too was speechless at Kuroko's outburst like the others, a smile stretched across her face as she brought a hand up to her mouth, muffling her words again. "Tetsu-kun…"

~On-Court~

"…. The fuck just happened?" Nebuya was the first to respond to Kuroko's sudden outburst of skill. Rakuzan remained in shock as they were unable to properly comprehend what had actually occurred. Had it not happened right in front of them, they wouldn't have believed it.

"Hey hey, how did he get past Mayuzumi just like that huh? I thought you had him covered Mayuzumi, what the hell!" Hayama complained at Mayuzumi who was at a loss for words. "I…I… I don't…know…"

"Forget the scoring…how did he even get the steal? I don't recall him being near the ball. Actually I don't recall him even _being on the court_" Mibuchi said quietly, trying to process the thoughts in his head.

"So he _vanished_? What the fuck?! I thought we got passed that already, Akashi! What the hell is going on?!" Nebuya roared at Akashi who was deeply immersed in his thoughts and did not respond.

….

….

"Oi Akashi, I'm talking to y-" "**Quiet.**" Nebuya flinched at Akashi's silent outburst. "S- Sorry. Got ahead of myself there." Nebuya apologized to Akashi for his outrage.

"Disregard it. Your rage is not misplaced. Tetsuya should not be able to vanish off the court just like that. His lack of presence should have faded away by now." Akashi said to his teammates while trying to find the answer to the questions.

"It's quite simple really, Akashi-kun."

!

The members of Rakuzan turned their heads to Kuroko, who had overheard their conversation. "Throughout my time rising in Seirin, I was fully aware that such a problem as losing my lack of presence may have occurred. I don't think you understand Akashi-kun, but my lack of presence is not something I was born it, its something I _gained._ And anything that can be gained can also be _re-_gained."

Akashi eyes widened as reality hit him. He narrowed his eyes at Kuroko menacingly. "You restored your lack of presence? Such a thing should not be possible."

Kuroko kept his poker face on under Akashi's glare. "Before now, my lack of presence was something that I obtained naturally. But as time went on, I've learned to not only make use of it, but to manipulate and produce it in order to overcome my weakness. Before, my presence would be known from spending too much time on court, yet that is no longer a problem, and neither is gaining a lack of presence. As I've said before Akashi-kun, I've changed."

Akashi glared at Kuroko's boldness, watching him as he walked back to his side of the court.

"It's fine Akashi-kun" Mibuchi tried to soothe Akashi's rising anger. "We still have a good 20+ lead. As long as we can maintain it, then this won't be a problem."

Mibuchi was met with a silent response.

….

….

"I will be guarding Tetsuya. Mayuzumi, switch on Kagami and the rest maintain your positions." The rest nodded their head, as Akashi's voice demanded total obedience and no refusal. Nebuya inbounded the ball to Akashi, who immediately passed it to a confused Hayama. "Akashi-kun…?" Hayama called out to Akashi, asking for a reason for this course of action.

"Take point for now, I'm going to keep an eye on Tetsuya to see just how exactly he's vanishing." Akashi ordered to Hayama, whose eyes hardened and nodded his head. "Got it." Hayama replied before dribbling down the court. Akashi kept his eyes on Kuroko who returned the stare. Kuroko began backpedaling slowly, weaving in and out of the players, while Akashi suddenly found it difficult to maintain his eyes on Kuroko.

'_What's going on? It's like he's literally fading away as he walks._' Akashi struggled to keep an eye on Kuroko. The next events had happened so quickly that the play was over before Akashi could respond.

One second, Kuroko had been in his point of view. The next second Kiyoshi walked in front of Kuroko, blocking Akashi's view of him for a split second. The second he passed by, Kuroko vanished.

Akashi's eyes widened. It was as if Kuroko had teleported in the second that Kiyoshi walked in front of him. Akashi was brought back to reality by the sound of a buzzer. He turned just in time to see Kagami land from a dunk. It took him a second to deduce what had occurred.

Kuroko vanished and stole the ball from Hayama.

He threw a cyclone pass down the court to where Kagami was waiting.

Kagami retrieved the pass and scored a dunk.

It had been a complete repetition of Seirin's first game with Shuutoku, except with a steal leading up to the cyclone pass across the court. Mibuchi looked at Akashi, looking for an answer as to how Kuroko had disappeared.

Akashi merely shook his head, having a lack of an answer to his newfound lack of presence. "Kuso…." Nebuya cursed to himself, grinding his teeth. Not only had Seirin begun to score again, they stole Rakuzan's momentum, not to mention that Hyuga and Kiyoshi seemed to have found a way to halt Mibuchi's and Nebuya's offensive progress.

"If there's nothing we can do, then so be it, we will merely have to overpower them offensively. Restrain from passing to much and call out a warning if Kuroko vanishes from the court again." Akashi ordered to the 4 remaining members on court. He then looked directly at Mayuzumi.

"Remain in your position on Kagami. Kuroko will most likely provide him with the ball. If we can halt Kagami's progress, then their offensive momentum should decrease drastically." Mayuzumi nodded his head in response and walked down the court.

Nebuya inbounded the ball to Akashi once more, who began dribbling down the court. '_As long as I hold the ball and Tetsuya remains on me, he cannot vanish off the court._' Akashi smirked at the thought, feeling confident that he found a solution to their problem. If he could not find out how Kuroko had vanished, then he would merely prevent him from obtaining the chance to do so.

Akashi snapped a one-handed pass to the left corner of the court where Mibuchi stood. Out of nowhere Mayuzumi appeared with a hand on the ball, intending to mis-direct the ball towards Nebuya's direction in the key.

!  
!

All of a sudden, another hand appeared on the ball opposite of Mayuzumi's hand, preventing Mayuzumi from pushing the ball towards Nebuya. Mayuzumi looked up too see Kuroko on the other side of the ball, with his hair covering his eyes.

Akashi's eyes widened as he looked in front of him, where Kuroko had vanished from. The second he looked towards Mibuchi to pass the ball, Kuroko had seemingly vanished. '_Regardless, Mayuzumi surpasses Tetsuya in every physical aspect, so pushing the ball passed him should not provide a problem_' Akashi thought.

Nevertheless, Mayuzumi found himself struggling to push the ball past Kuroko's hand. "Ack…what the hell is going on?" Mayuzumi asked to no one in particular, yet Kuroko responded.

"Mayuzumi-san."

Mayuzumi looked up to see Kuroko raise his head and look him directly in the eyes. He flinched at the cold gaze Kuroko offered, yet still found fiery determination circulating those cold eyes. Kuroko continued.

"Although I acknowledge that you **are** superior to me in every aspect physically, that does not make to superior to me. Not just anyone can dedicate themselves to the shadows of the court so easily. The Phantom Sixth Man is a title bestowed to me directly, and it is on I do not intend to give up so easily. Your superior physique is no match for the overpower difference in skill." And at that point, Mayuzumi began to find it difficult to restrain the ball from flying past him, rather than pushing it forward.

"**Please do not underestimate my skills**"

The last thing Mayuzumi saw was a familiar glint in Kuroko's eyes, one that resembled that of Kagami's before the ball was pushed out of his hand, no his whole arm as he was thrown back from the impact. Mayuzumi looked to see the ball rocket its way to the other end of the court, where is banked into the hoop.

….

….

'_What the hell just happened_' was the mutual thought that ran through literally every single person in the stadium excluding Kuroko.

"He **literally **threw the ball into the hoop…" Koganei muttered as the members of Seirin looked on wordlessly, finding no words to describe the phenomenon in front of them. Akashi's eyes widened slightly before he turned to Kuroko, who was coincidentally looking at him.

"If I can't find anyone to pass to, then I'll just pass to the hoop instead." Kuroko stated before he walked back down the court. Akashi took notice of the glint in Kuroko's eyes and his eyes widened fully. "It can't be… That's impossible…"

~Spectators~

Aomine's face filled with shock and utter disbelief as he muttered 4 words. "He's entered the zone…." Kise and Midorima perked up, hearing this. "Eh? What was that Aominecchi?" Kise asked, refusing to believe what he heard.

Aomine's eyes widened as he kept his eyes on Kuroko. "Tetsu… He's entered the zone… you can tell from the glint in his eyes." Kise looked towards the court where Kuroko was standing and as Aomine had said, a sky blue colored glint was found in Kuroko's eyes.

"I- It's just like with Kagami and Murasakibara…" Midorima mumbled.

Riko Aida, picking up on what Aomine said, dropped her clipboard in shock. "Kuroko… entered the zone? But…I thought the chance of a person entering the zone was practically 1 in a million…"

"It is." Aomine spoke loudly enough that all of the spectators, including their respective teams and Seirin's bench heard. "What do you mean it is Aomine-kun? How does that explain how Kuroko is doing it?" Imayoshi asked.

"The reason the zone is so difficult to obtain is because of the requirements. The only people who can use it as of now excluding Tetsu, is Kagami, Murasakibara and me. The only reason **we** can use it is because of our extraordinary physique. Our physical traits are above the average, making it possible for us to enter the zone. The reason most people can't enter it is because of the strain it puts on the body. Without a durable body, a person can't last in the zone for even 5 minutes." Aomine lectured the GoM and their respective teams on the secrets behind zone.

"But Kurokocchi does not have a strong physique. So how is he able to enter the zone? And what does it have to do with Kurokocchi being able to repel Mayuzumi's passes?" Kise asked Aomine, earning to gain more knowledge on the zone.

Aomine raised an eyebrow at Kise's sudden interest. "Don't get your hopes up on achieving zone. I know I said that it requires a strong, durable body, but that's not all. It requires a strong mentality as well. It took me 2 years to achieve, and the only reason Kagami was able to reach it was because of Tetsu's words of encouragement during our game. My only guess is that Tetsu's high mentality made up for his fragile body."

"But what about Tetsu-kun's ability to suddenly reject Mayuzumi's passes and launch a ball across court **directly **into the hoop?" Momoi asked Aomine.

"The zone doesn't exactly affect the player physically. The change is more mental as it attacks the nervous system and its coordination with the muscular system." Aomine stated casually.

"E- Eh?" Momoi was taken aback by Aomine's sudden use of large vocabulary and intelligent wording. Aomine merely raised an eyebrow at Momoi's reaction.

"Aominecchi, are you feeling ok? You don't feel sick or anything do you?" Kise asked truly concerned as he placed a hand on Aomine's forehead. Aomine smacked his hand away annoyingly.

"O- Oi! Quit it, what are you so surprised about?! Do you take me for an idiot or something?!" Aomine yelled at the group, while the members of Touou sweatdropped at their ace's treatment. "I don't think you want that question answered…" Midorima muttered under his breath while re-adjusting his glasses with his taped hands.

A vein popped out on Aomine's head, before he shook his head and focused back on the game. "Gahhh screw you. As I was saying, the zone doesn't affect our bodies physically. Naturally the mind has…well I guess you can call it a limiter or something. It basically prevents our body from exerting ourselves to the point where our bodies begin to suffer. Entering the zone destroys those 'limiters' allowing our body to reach new levels and enhancing our physical abilities."

"That would normally explain Kuroko's sudden outburst of strength. Yet how come you never displayed such change?" Midorima asked, still unsatisfied with his lack of knowledge on the zone.

"Normally the zone affects the dominant aspect of the body's physical traits. For me, it would be my speed and agility, while it would be jump vertical for Kagami. So naturally, the zone specifically releases the mind's restraint on the calf muscles, allowing us to apply more force on them. Generally this would enable us to move faster and jump higher. But in Tetsu's case, he doesn't seem to have a dominant aspect, considering his frail body. So my only hypothesis is that entering the zone allows him to release **ALL **restraints on the body, enhancing his abilities far more than ours." Aomine answered.

"I-I see… heh heh…" Momoi laughed nervously, still un-used to this new and intelligent side to Aomine.

'_I don't think I could get used to Aomine-kun talking like this…_'

Suddenly a thought came into her mind.

"Aomine-kun, you mentioned something about the body normally suffering, resulting in the establishment of the restraints. So does that mean…." Momoi trailed off.

Aomine, understanding her concerns and question, answered.

"Yeah, while in the zone, our body suffers from the overexertion it's put through. The zone doesn't just release the restraints; it enhances our abilities **even further**. So naturally, our bodies would suffer from the exhaustion. That's why our bodies need to be exceptionally fit to use it. Even now, Kagami and I suffer from sluggishness and delayed reactions as it is…" Aomine trailed off, suddenly deeply immersed in thought.

"Aomine-kun…? What are you thinking about?" Momoi asked concerned about what was wrong. She was worried about what the zone would do to Kuroko, especially because of his frail body…. Her eyes widened in realization. It seems that Aomine had reached the same conclusion as his eyes also widened and he leaned over the rail.

"DAMMIT TETSU!"

~General POV~

"DAMMIT TETSU"

Everyone's head turned towards Aomine, including the players on court.

"Aominecchi, what is it? What's wrong?" Kise asked, rather demanded, concerned about Kuroko's well-being.

"Like I said, the zone takes an enormous toll on the body of the given player. But that's for players like **US**, as in me, Kagami and Murasakibara. What do you think entering the zone would do to someone like Tetsu, who has a body weaker than even an average one?" Aomine asked rhetorically.

Kise's and Midorima's eyes widened in realization at what Aomine was implying, and they joined Aomine and Momoi by the railing, while their team members watched in confusion, some turning to faces of realization now and then at what Aomine had meant.

"Kurokocchi, what are you thinking?!" Kise yelled at Kuroko, who seemed to intentionally ignore their words as he kept his focus on the court. By now, the third quarter had ended, with the score being 64-51 in Rakuzan's favor with Seirin catching up drastically. Currently, all of Seirin was on the bench with Hyuga and Kiyoshi were trying to persuade Kuroko into re-considering his options.

"Kuroko! Don't be foolish. You're only going to injure yourse-" Midorima was interrupted by Kuroko before he could finish.

"**Urusai**" Everyone seemed to flinch again at Kuroko's sudden cold outburst.

"You showed no concern for me back in Teiko, and there's no need to change now." The members of GoM were hit with yet another wave of guilt, after being reminded again of their past treatment of Kuroko during their days in Teiko. Kise looked down in shame while Midorima simply closed his mouth and kept silent and Aomine merely grinded his teeth together.

"I intend to win this match, and if it means having to endure pain for some time, than I will gladly offer my body's well-being." Kuroko continued. Momoi brought a hand to her mouth as her eyes watered. "But why….. Why go so far… I-I don't want to see you get hurt Tetsu-kun…"

Kuroko looked towards Momoi and his harsh glare softened to a small smile.

"Because their effort makes the pain worth it. Gomen Momoi-san, but please bear with me for this one last quarter." Kuroko smiled at Momoi apologetically, fully aware of her concern and frustration at seeing Kuroko suffer. Momoi merely turned away, refusing to let Kuroko see the tears fall from her face.

"Kuroko, please re-consider. There's no need for you to go so far just to win." Kiyoshi pleaded with Kuroko, but his words fell on deaf ears. Kuroko shook his head and smiled slightly before returning to his usual poker-face.

"I've though about it Kiyoshi-senpai. I've had the first two whole quarters to come to this decision. And this isn't about just winning. I have to win this if I'm to prove to Akashi-kun the importance of friendship and teamwork on a basketball team." Kuroko replied.

"Kuroko, as much as I applaud your determination, I cannot allow you to do such a thing. As the coach, it's my responsibility to look out for the players' wellbeing. And if I allow for you to continue when the consequences are so fatal, I would never forgive myself. I'll force you into a substitution if I have t-"

"**No**."

At this point, no one was really surprised considering how much different Kuroko had become during the last 36 minutes, yet the flinch was always present. Kuroko's expression instantaneously softened though as he continued.

"Please senpai, regardless of the fact that we cannot win without it, this is something I need to do personally, something that I need to prove." Kuroko pleaded with Riko Aida, who chewed on her bottom lip nervously. All of Seirin looked at the coach, who would make the final decision. After a minute or so, she looked up at Kuroko.

"Wakatta. Just…don't overdo it. If I see that you're struggling out there, your out in the next second, got it?" Riko Aida looked at Kuroko sternly, as if challenging him to argue. Luckily for her, it didn't seem like he intended to. Kuroko smiled at his coach and nodded. "Mm, understood. Arigatou, senpai."

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the break and the start of the 4th Quarter. The starting members of both teams walked onto the court. Kiyoshi inbounded the ball to Izuki, who began dribbling down the court. Kuroko held his position in the right corner of the court by the three-point line, where Akashi had marked him.

"I commend you for entering the zone Tetsuya." Kuroko switched his focus from the Izuki and the ball, to Akashi who began talking him. Akashi turned his head to look Kuroko directly in the eyes before continuing.

"But merely overpowering me with the zone alone will not give the opportunity to win the game. So a narrow-minded conclusion will merely result in your downfall." Akashi said to Kuroko, who turned his gaze away from Akashi back to the ball.

"You misunderstand Akashi-kun. The purpose for entering the zone is not to merely stop you, but the rest of Rakuzan." Kuroko corrected Akashi. Akashi raised an eyebrow at Kuroko, before narrowing his eyes menacingly, giving Kuroko a deadly glare.

"What are you implying Tetsuya?" Kuroko returned his gaze to Akashi for a second. "What I am saying Akashi-kun…is that I no longer require the use of the zone to beat you." Akashi's eyes widened at Kuroko's challenge. At that second Kuroko disappeared and set a pick on Mibuchi for Hyuga to go threw.

"Such a foolish challenge Tetsuya, getting past me will not be so easy." Akashi responded to the pick by adjusting his mark, and guarding Hyuga while Mibuchi attempted to keep an eye on Kuroko.

Akashi smiled slightly and confidently, preparing the strip the ball from Hyuga. At that split second an image of Kuroko appeared in the corner of his eye, unconsciously stealing his attention. Akashi found himself at a shock once again as Hyuga vanished from in front of him and reappeared behind, pulling up for yet another shot to score. The buzzer rang once again, signaling a point as the score changed from 60-51 to 60-53.

'_Was that…misdirection overflow? But that shouldn't be possible with another shadow like Mayuzumi on court. Even if Kuroko is superior, the appearance of another shadow should have stolen away attention from Kuroko_' Akashi thought to himself. He was woken out of his trance by the sound of Hayama's voice.

"Neh neh, Akashi what's gotten into you? You practically just let Hyuga walk past you!" Akashi's eyes widened at the statement. He looked towards Mibuchi, who held a concerned look on his face. "Didn't you notice Hyuga vanish?" Akashi questioned Mibuchi, who shook his head in denial.

"Hyuga never vanished at all. That's impossible, he simply drove past you. Are you sure you're okay Akashi, you seemed off the second you switched onto Hyuga." Mibuchi said, speaking for the rest of Rakuzan. Akashi merely shook the thoughts out of his head and chose to speak to Kuroko the next chance he had.

During Seirin's next offensive play, Kuroko brought the ball up the court with Akashi waiting down-court for him. The second Kuroko arrived, Akashi dropped down to a defensive stance and his dichromatic eyes flashing, signaling the activation of the Emperor's Eye.

"What have you done Tetsuya? Have you actually managed to activate the effects of misdirection overflow on a single person? Such a thing should not be possible." Akashi glared at Kuroko, who merely stood there dribbling the ball.

"I did no such thing. I merely demonstrated the weakness of you ability." Akashi narrowed his eyes at Kuroko's declaration. "What are you referring to, my Emperor's Eye has **no **weakness." Akashi gritted his teeth as he denied Kuroko's claim harshly.

"Your Emperor's Eye reads every movement and aspect of the targeted player, from physical movement to even the slightest heartbeat. For someone whose perception is so exceptionally advanced, directing your attention is simple. Such a thing does not require the use of my misdirection overflow. I don't need to be the center of attention to just steal the attention from you. Basically, your one weakness…is **ME**." Kuroko declared confidently.

Akashi's eyes widened at Kuroko's claim, realizing the logic behind it and its validity. For once in his life, he had been outsmarted and was left speechless. Yet before he could respond, Kuroko had continued. Akashi was brought out of shock by Kuroko's next few words.

"And there is yet another weakness that I've spotted."

"Nani? Another weakness?" Akashi said disbelievingly. As if sensing Akashi's disbelief, Kuroko reiterated on what he said. "Your other weakness is your predictability and your ability itself. Your Emperor's Eye allows you to react with god-like reflexes to any change. But that can be used by someone to their advantage, like I just did previously and by predicting your movements." At that point, Kuroko planted his left feet back in order to push off in the right direction. Akashi, taking notice of this, attempted to cut off Kuroko on his right side and steal the ball from his right hand.

Akashi was blown passed though, as Kuroko predicted this and feinted right; instead going left. Akashi's eyes widened in surprise at the fake he so easily fell for. As Kuroko passed by Akashi, he met his gaze and said something. "For someone like me, who has played with you for three years in Teiko, reading and predicting your movement is child's play."

Kuroko blew past Akashi and set up for another Phantom shot. Nebuya, taking notice of this, jumped forward on impulse in order to block Kuroko. Kuroko, having predicted this as well, faked the shot and threw a pocket pass to Kiyoshi who was now left open in the paint for a simple layup. The buzzer rang once more, showing the score change.

60-55 in Rakuzan's favor.

Akashi merely stood there, in shock at what just happened. For the first time, Akashi had been shown up, and by Kuroko of all people, the one person he assumed to be useless offensively.

"Sugoi! Seirin scored again.!"

"Rakuzan's helpless to stop that guy. Who is he?"

"I remember seeing him, but I had no idea he was so good!"

The crowd was going wild at the sudden change in the flow of the game. Rakuzan had spontaneously lost their momentum during the 3rd Quarter, while Seirin had stolen it.

"Akashi-kun." Akashi turned his head to Kuroko, who had his eyes on him. "I will not say it again. I've changed, and for the better. I'll show our superior style of basketball." Kuroko's eyes flashed with a glint of sky blue, signaling his entrance into the zone.

"**The comeback starts now.**"


	4. Chapter 4: Winter Cup Final's Finale

Chapter 4: Winter Cup Final's Finale

**Hey everyone. Just a heads up, I'm going to try and use each weekend to post a new chapter, but I hold no promises. As of now, I have several chapters and ideas planned out so posting chapters won't be as difficult for** now.** But if you guys have any ideas I could use for a chapter, I would gladly accept them.**

"Th-This is insane…" Kasamatsu said as he found his mouth remained ajar, like the rest of the spectators.

"This is….quite the unexpected results." Imayoshi said, sweating profusely.

"I… It's happening right before us, yet I still can't seem to believe it…" Midorima mumbled.

"Is that…really Tetsu-kun?" Momoi said to herself, yet Aomine replied anyway.

"Of course that's him, baka. But….I never knew he was capable of such skill…In fact, I don't think any of us were…" Aomine said, following Momoi's statement. The game play of the 3rd and 4th Quarter left the audience, no even the members of Seirin in shock. Yes the game was completely one-sided like in the first half, yet it was nothing like the first half. No. Rakuzan was no longer in control, Seirin- no Kuroko had taken complete control of the game.

What shocked the GoM members specifically was that Kuroko was doing so WHILE incorporating his members into his plays, unlike the GoM back in their days at Teiko. In contrast to their Teiko team, who began focusing on one-man plays where people like Kuroko was no longer needed; Seirin had become a team of chemistry with Kuroko in the center of it all.

* * *

~On-Court~

New Score: 64-78 in Seirin's favor. Ever since the start of the Second Half, Rakuzan failed to score more than 10 points, while Seirin had gone on an offensive role thanks to Kuroko.

"Kuso…." Akashi cursed to himself as Kuroko had once again blown past him. Ever since entering the zone, Kuroko had not made use of his lack of presence. No, Kuroko **did not need **his lack of presence. He had become a ninja on the court, appearing in one place at a time, then instantly disappearing, only to reappear stealing a ball or misdirecting a pass. Keeping eyes on him had become completely impossible.

Yet although Akashi had yet to find a way to stop Kuroko, only one thought ran through his head. '_Why hasn't he been forced out of the zone yet? Just how long can he last?_' Akashi thought frustratingly as he failed to find an answer.

"I cannot be forced out of the zone."

!

As if reading Akashi's mind, Kuroko instantly reappeared in front of Akashi on defense, while Hayama held onto the ball. Akashi, dripping with sweat uncontrollably from the stress of having to keep up, narrowed his eyes at Kuroko's statement. "Nani?"

"…Players are forced out of the zone, not due to physical stress….but mental stress." Akashi's eyes widened at Kuroko's clarification, seeming to realize what that meant.

* * *

~Spectators~

Back at the stands, Kise frowned unable to understand what that meant like everybody else. Midorima was the first to ask for clarification on what Kuroko meant. "What is Kuroko referring to Aomine? Did you not say that entering the zone takes a drastic toll on the physical body?" Midorima asked to Aomine, who never took his eyes of Kuroko except for when he vanished, seemingly concerned about Kuroko's condition.

"Yes that's true, the physical stress is there, but that isn't what forces people out of the zone. The restraints that are opened when entering the zone won't remain open unless the mind holds it in place. While holding the restraints loose, the mind seemingly increase the rate of impulses to the body's muscle, which is what enhances our abilities. When the mind can no longer do so WHILE keeping the restraints open, THAT is when players are forced out of the zone in order to maintain the normal body functions while re-establishing the restraints." Aomine explained.

"…Sugoi, Aominecchi! You're surprisingly smart for a muscles-for-brain!" Kise said chuckling nervously, still not used to this side of Aomine. Instead of retorting, Aomine kept his eyes on Kuroko and sighed. "Baka, don't you think I should have an understanding of the zone if I'm to use it in-game?" Seeing the logic in Aomine's claim, Midorima pressed forward with the main issue.

"Although I understand the issue of mental stress, how does that make Kuroko any special?" Midorima followed up with another question.

"Remember that Kagami and I unknowingly entered the zone by chance due to internal conflict and our conviction. Yet Tetsu was able to enter the zone at will just back then. That alone gives us a demonstration of how superior his mental abilities are, being able to release the restraints on their own. Also, while his physical body remains frail, I can only guess that his mentality dominates, since they are supposed to be indirectly proportional. So for someone like Tetsu, mental stress is not a problem, rather it may not even be a possibility." Midorima's eyes widened in disbelief, seeming to understand the situation and how overpowered Kuroko could be when in zone. But his thoughts were interrupted by Imayoshi, who seemed to realize a flaw.

"But, if we were to pick out something as a flaw, it would be Kuroko's frail body yes? Eventually his game play will slowly worsen due to physical stress." Imayoshi pointed out, awaiting Aomine's response. But Aomine merely shook his head in denial.

"Remember when we're in the zone, practically all thoughts are pushed out of our head, and that includes the stress that we feel as a result of entering the zone." Imayoshi frowned at Aomine's statement. "I don't quite understand." Imayoshi replied.

"When in the zone, it's true that the condition of our body deteriorates. Slowly, our muscles stress out, and we would normally begin to worsen in game play. But that's **normally**. Except when we're in the zone, our mind simply responds to the deterioration of our abilities by sending impulses throughout the body at a faster rate. Due to the increase in impulses being sent, our body responds by simply working harder to maintain the constant game play. So naturally, as time goes on, it'll be harder for someone to stay in the zone as the stress on their mind gradually increases." Aomine explained. Kasamatsu's eyes widened in shock, and he began to speak, wanting to confirm something.

"So what're you saying, that Kuroko can keep up this insane game play for as long as he wants?!" Kasamatsu asked disbelievingly. The Zone itself was ridiculously overpowering to use, yet in the hands of Kuroko who could stay in the zone as long as he desired, it was similar to that of a cheat sheet, giving the user absolute success.

Aomine shook his head. "Baka! Did you forget about Kuroko's frail body?!" Aomine yelled at Kasamatsu, who flinched at Aomine's sudden outburst. Aomine eventually calmed down before continuing, his eyes not leaving the court once throughout the whole scene. "…Eventually his body will give out as his legs fail and his body collapses. That's why….that's why he can't casually enter the zone. Why else do you think he never used it up till now? The cost of victory would be too drastic."

Aomine could not help but feel guilt, seeing as Kuroko's sole purpose for using it now was to prove his beliefs to the GoM, who had thrown him aside. It seems that Kuroko had truly become desperate to see his goal reached.

The rest of the spectators looked back onto the court, waiting to see which would occur first; the game ending in either team's favor, or Kuroko's body failing to function and collapsing.

~On-Court~

"Kuroko! How you holding up?" Kagami yelled out to Kuroko. Although all of Seirin was glad, not ecstatic at the outcome from Kuroko using the zone, they were still wary, fully aware of the consequences and toll it took on Kuroko.

Kuroko turned his head to Kagami and nodded his head, the corner of his lips rising slightly into a smile as he held a thumb up. "I'm fine Kagami-kun, don't worry about me." Kagami showed no reaction, the stern look never leaving his face. "Tch, don't even think about overdoing it. The first sign, and you're out, got it?" Kagami left without waiting for Kuroko's response.

Although Seirin was aware of the toll it took on Kuroko, they had no possible way of knowing that his body would never show any sign of weakening due to his constant position in the zone. As such, no one took notice of the fact that Kuroko was slightly staggering and his hands were trembling.

"Sugoi! We have this match in the bag now!" Kawahara yelled confidently as the bench of Seirin watched ecstatically. Riko Aida smacked in him alongside the head with a closed fist and Kawahara flinched. "Itaii…." Kawahara muttered with teary eyes and rubbed the sore spot on his face.

"Baka! We can't let down just yet. Once Kuroko runs out of time in the zone, it'll all just go down hill from then. So we need to take advantage and widen the score-gap as much as we can." Riko reminded. The bench of Seirin, just realizing this, lost some of their ecstatic outburst, no running on concern for how long Kuroko would last in the zone. Although the GoM and their teams were aware, the players of Seirin did not know about Kuroko's ability to maintain his activation of the zone.

Back on the court, Rakuzan was still struggling to obtain any sense of momentum throughout the game. Kuroko's entrance into the zone had forced the game to take a complete 180 degrees turn. Nebuya inbounded the ball to Hayama, who began dribbling down the court until he reached the top of the three-point line, where Izuki stood waiting for him.

'_Damn…I'm gonna have to go all out with 5 fingers if we're gonna get anywhere with this_' Hayama thought as he placed all five fingers on the ball.

'_I'll simply feint left and drive right, before crossing the ball between his legs back to the left. Five fingers should be fast enough with Kuroko cat- wait where is he?!_' Hayama said to himself when he realized he loss sight of Kuroko on court.

THWACK

Kuroko suddenly appeared behind Hayama, grabbing the ball and dribbling down the court. Rakuzan responded by sprinting after him, with Akashi and Hayama in the front. Their efforts however, remained in vain as Kuroko was in a league of his own when it came to speed in the zone. A simple layup was all it took. Akashi, attempting to maintain his composure, did not show any sense of faze.

'_If we cannot stop them on defense…_' Akashi thought as Mibuchi inbounded the ball to him. '_Then we'll merely surpass them on offense!_' Akashi admitted, such a plan was mediocre and too simple, yet he was unable to think of any other solution to combat Kuroko's overpowered abilities. He threw a full-court pass to Nebuya, who had remained on the other side of the court the whole time waiting for the pass.

"Shit! We got distracted!" Hyuga said to himself as Seirin ran back down the court. Although they were confident Kuroko would've been able to score, they ran after him on the fast break nevertheless, fearing that he may collapse or something may occur. As such, Nebuya was left wide open on their side of the court for an easy 2 points. Nebuya smirked as he received the pass and drove in for a dunk. Or so he thought.

THWACK

Nebuya's eyes widened as he turned his head to the left to see Kuroko steal the ball a second before a vanished again. '_The kid's become a fuckin' ninja! What the hell!_' Nebuya thought as he watched Kuroko sprint back down to Rakuzan's side of the court. Kuroko's sprint was halted as Akashi stepped up to guard him. Kuroko slightly frowned, not understanding what Akashi felt he could accomplish by guarding Kuroko.

Kuroko thought back to their time's in Teiko. Although Akashi had come off as harsh when it came to decisions and standards, his course of actions always had a sense of reason to them. In Kuroko's eyes, Akashi was a man of logic. To him, if something seemed impossible or ridiculous to even attempt at, he would never go down such a goal. Such was the reason for their undefeated streak in Teiko.

'_What are you planning Akashi-kun?_' Kuroko thought to himself as he halted. His eyes widened however, as he realized what Akashi was planning. While Kuroko was two feet in front of the line, Akashi was a good feet behind it. '_He's pressuring me to shoot_', Kuroko thought to himself. Kuroko sighed mentally, noticing the flaws behind said-plan. Clearly, the fact that he was about to lose was affecting Akashi's mind drastically, as he could not process his thoughts properly.

'_If he won't come after me…_' Kuroko thought before planting his left feet back. '_Then I'll come to him!_' And with that, Kuroko pushed off his left feet and sprinted straight towards Akashi. Akashi's eyes widened. '_Kuso…I'm not thinking properly!_' Akashi thought as he failed to realize that Kuroko could still drive into the hoop, regardless of whether Akashi gave him space to shoot or not.

However, it was too late for Akashi to react, as Kuroko vanished right before making contact with Akashi, and re-appeared behind him. Right after reappearing, he set up for a Phantom Shot, but was met with Mibuchi's towering body jumping to block him. However, Kuroko faked the shot and gunned a pass to Hyuga, who flinched at the impact of the pass before scoring a three. "Yosh!" Hyuga screamed with a fist in the air, as the audience and Seirin's bench cheered. '_Itaiiiiii. Kuroko's passes hurt more than Riko-san's fists!_'

"O- Oi Kuroko! Can you take it down a notch with the passes?! Practically broke my hand with that one!" Hyuga complained to Kuroko as he tried to shake the pain of his right hand. Kuroko maintained a deadpanned face, preventing any concern he had for Hyuga's injury from being shown. "Gomen, Hyuga-senpai...I don't think I've gotten used to the zone quite yet."

Akashi looked at the time, searching to see how much time was left. 5:34 was written on the board and counting down, with the score reading 64-82 in Seirin's favor. Ever since Kuroko entered the zone and remained in it, Rakuzan had failed to score a single point, while Seirin seemed to be on a scoring streak. And what annoyed Akashi the most was that the scoring streak was not solely from Kuroko. Somehow, Kuroko unleashing his true potential had not only boosted the team's morale, but their conviction and abilities as they began the regain focus on the task at hand.

Akashi began trembling, shaking his head back and forward continuously. '_No…No….NO! I won't lose, I can't lose, I NEVER lose. That would mean I'm wrong and __**I am never wrong. NEVER**_' Akashi screamed these thoughts in his head.

"Oi! Akashi, get it together! The last thing we need is you zoning out on us!" Nebuya yelled at Akashi, inbounding the ball for what seemed like the 20th time in the last 5 minutes. Hayama grabbed the ball and dribbled the ball down the court. His eyes moved rapidly across the court, trying to keep an eye out for Kuroko.

THWACK

His eyed widened, hearing the steal before even seeing it. His turned his head around and his eyes widened even further in shock. For the person behind who had stolen the ball was not Kuroko but…

'_Izuki?! What the hell!_' Izuki looked at Hayama, his face showing no emotions. "I can understand being wary for Kuroko but….please don't ignore us in the process, because you'll only be digging yourself a deeper hole to get out of." Izuki said before dribbling down the court on the fast break. All players went down court on the fast break, as Izuki held the ball.

Izuki passed the ball to Kiyoshi, who was in the post with Nebuya behind him. Mibuchi, seeing the pass, ran towards it in an attempt to intercept the pass.  
!

Before Mibuchi could reach the pass, Kuroko appeared by the ball and flicked it, mis-directing the ball towards Hyuga, who was left clear for an open three-pointer. Kuroko smiled to himself, clearly satisfied with the progress shown in front of him. Although he was capable of entering the Zone for some time now, he had yet to test it on an actual opponent. Thus, the results he was given as of now even surprised him. Kuroko was brought back to the game at hand at the sound of a whistle from the referee, signaling a timeout from Seirin.

Kuroko frowned, questioning the reason for a timeout so early on in the 4th Quarter. He turned to look at the scoreboard.

Blink.

Blink, blink.

Although not portraying it, he was quite shocked to see the game time paused at 3:32. '_Where did the last nine minutes go?_' Kuroko thought to himself. One of the most annoying aspects that he believed came as a part of entering the zone was his narrow-minded mentality. Due to being in the Zone, players' mind wandered off often and lost focus of everything around them and regardless of Kuroko's unique ability to remain in the zone; he was still no exception to that perk.

Thus, he was also quite surprised to see his fellow teammates panting on-court and struggling to breathe. It seems that even they were finding it difficult to keep up with Kuroko. Over the last nine minutes, all of their points were coming off fastbreaks on offense since Kuroko constantly stripped the ball from Rakuzan, forcing turnovers. As such, the effects of constantly sprinting on-court were quite evident on the condition of Kuroko's teammates.

Kuroko followed his teammates, who practically dragged themselves onto the benched. Hyuga flopped down on the bench and practically swallowed his bottle of water.

"Gah, hah. Feel like….I'm bout to…die from lack of air…" Hyuga panted while he fidgeted on the bench uncomfortably, as if trying to make breathing seem easier.

"I don't believe we've ever sprinted so much in-game OR during practice…" Kiyoshi said while he sat normally on the bench. Since he was center, he wasn't required to run as much since his position remained in the key. Yet even he was starting to feel the effects of keeping up with Kuroko. Even Kagami was panting for air.

"O- Oi Kuroko…. Can't you slow it down a notch?" Kagami gasped out as he panted for air as if he was choking. It seemed Kuroko was the only one who was unfazed by the amount of sprinting, even though he was the one leading all the fastbreak and initiating each one.

Riko Aida pushed off their complaints mercilessly. "Regardless, we're making good progress. And Kuroko, you should lay off the Zone for now. It's best you don't wear out the rest of your time in the Zone." Riko said directly to Kuroko.

Kuroko merely shook his head. "I'm fine senpai. There's no need to be concerned about how much time I have left." Hyuga, as if realizing what he implied, raised an eyebrow and questioned him.

"Are you implying what I think you are Kuroko?" Kuroko turned his head to Hyuga at the sound of his question. "If you're assuming I meant that my time in the Zone is limitless…then you are correct." Kuroko answered. Riko's eyes widened at the new information.

"Nani?! How is that possible?" Kagami questioned. Being someone who could enter the Zone, Kagami was fully aware of the stress that entering the Zone put on the body. As such, he found it hard to believe that someone like Kuroko could stay in the zone. Unlike the spectators who heard the GoM's conversation before, the members of Seirin were unaware of Kuroko's ability up until now.

Kuroko frowned slightly as he pondered for sometime. He then turned to Kagami was a plain expression on his face. "Gomen Kagami-kun, but I don't quite know how to explain it" He said in a monotone voice. Kagami's eye twitched as a vein popped in his forehead.

'_At least sound apologetic if you're going to apologize, baka..._' Kagami thought to himself as the rest of Seirin sweatdropped at Kagami's reaction and Kuroko's unawareness to Kagami's stress. Riko smiled to herself. She was glad to know that nothing had changed among them even though Kuroko had changed so much in the last 40 minutes.

'_Or is he simply no showing his true colors?_' Riko thought to herself. Regardless, she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of such thoughts. Seeing how the rest of GoM were when it came to basketball, she was glad that Kuroko had not changed like them, seeing as how he seemed to surpass even them.

"Gah, can't we just take it easy for the rest of the game? There's practically three minutes left and we have a 20 point lead. There's no way they can catch u-" Kagami was cut short by a fist that smashed on top of his head. Cursing to himself, Kagami rubbed his sore spot.

"Itaii….Oi, Hyuga! What is it with you and hitting me?!" Kagami yelled at Hyuga, who merely scowled at him.

"Baka I don't know how you do it in America, but here in Japan, or at least in Seirin, we play hard to the very last second. Anything else is just outright disrespect. As much as I hate to admit it, the only reason we're winning against Rakuzan is 'cause of Kuroko. We got no right to take it easy when he, alongside Rakuzan are working their ass off." Hyuga lectured Kagami. The seniors of the team, including Kiyoshi and Koganei nodded their heads in agreement.

"Besides." Everyone turned their heads to Kuroko, who spoke up out of nowhere. "If you were to slack now and leave all the work for me, it wouldn't be a team game. And not only would that defeat my purpose for wanting to beat Akashi, it would also go against Seirin's beliefs, hai Hyuga-senpai?" Kuroko said, turning his head to Hyuga in the head.

Hyuga grinned at Kuroko. "See, Kuroko gets it. You." Hyuga said pointing to Kagami. "You lack respect and conviction." Hyuga criticized Kagami.

Kagami dropped to the ground. Ranging from Hyuga lecturing him to Kuroko taking the spotlight of the game, it seems everyone was showing him up. '_Today just isn't my day_'

* * *

~Spectators~

"Nani, why is Kurokocchi staying in the Zone? Shouldn't he take it easy since they're on break?" Kise questioned. "Baka, it's quite simple." Midorima said. Although Aomine was the expert when it came to the Zone, Midorima was able to see the logic in Kuroko's decision based off the knowledge he now had of the Zone.

"Neh…No need to be so mean Midorimacchi" Kise said while beginning to shed tears. Kasamatsu palmed his face in embarrassment while the rest of Kaijou sweatdropped at their ace's behavior. "Of all the GoM players here, why did **we **get the childish one?" Kasamatsu muttered to himself.

For the first time during the whole game Aomine begun to relax, slouching back in his seat. At the same time, Midorima continued with what he was going to say. "By choosing to maintain his position in the Zone, Kuroko can refrain from having to suffer from the recoil after exiting the Zone. And doing so with provide no problem as we, seeing as he can remain in the Zone for as long as he likes." Midorima lectured Kise.

"Not only that, but as miniscule as it is, this still gives Tetsu's body some time to relieve the stress being put on his body. Though I'm still worried, seeing as how we don't know how drastic the effects of the Zone are on his body." Aomine said.

"Not to mention the side-effects won't be shown until he actually exits the Zone right?" Imayoshi added in.

"Nn. We won't know how bad the damage is until Kuroko leaves the Zone neh Mine-chin?" Murasakibara asked.

"That's right." Aomine replied. For a split second, nothing happened. Aomine turned his head to Murasakibara.

Blink.

Blink, Blink.

"Mu-Murasakibara?! When the hell did you get here?!" Aomine yelled, jumping back in reflex, alongside Momoi and Kise while Midorima raised in eyebrow in surprise.

"Hmmm? Muro-chin wanted to watch the rest of the game, and said he would buy me snacks if I came." Murasakibara said with a mouth full of potato chips while pointing at Himuro. Himuro scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Eh heh heh. Gomen, I don't mean to intrude, but I noticed that all the GoM gathered here near Seirin's bench and figured we could come by as well." Turning his head, he looked at the scoreboard. Yet seeing the unexpected score with Seirin in the lead had not gotten the same reaction from him that it did from the rest.

"60-84 in Seirin's favor huh? Even though I was expecting it, still can't say I'm not surprised." Himuro said. Everyone gaped at his reaction. Had he expected such a score? From Rakuzan of all people?!

Aomine merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm positive you're the only person not surprised by this outcome." Himuro turned his head to respond.

"Nn. Murasakibara told me about Kuroko's ability to enter the Zone and that it would most likely overpower Rakuzan. While I was surprised by his description of Kuroko in the Zone, I didn't really believe that it would be this amazing until now. After all, we versed Rakuzan during the Interhigh tournament and without Murasakibara; it was a complete massacre even with me on the field." Himuro said. While most people were thinking about what he said, Midorima noticed something.

"Wait did you say Murasakibara told you beforehand? Would it be correct to say you were aware of this already Murasakibara?" Midorima questioned Murasakibara. Murasakibara merely raised an eyebrow at Midorima.

"Hmm? Oh. Yea, Kuro-chin told me about it after beating us in the playoffs. So I figured he would use it here considering he's going to verse Aka-chin. So I thought it would be easier to explain it to Muro-chin on the way here." Murasakibara stated.

…..

…..

…..

"And you didn't think to tell us beforehand…" Midorima said, his irritation at Murasakibara growing steadily.

"Hmmm? Didn't wanna." And with that, Murasakibara turned with his back to Midorima. A vein popped on Midorima's forehead as he walked up to Murasakibara before Kise stopped him.

"Neh, let's calm down there Midorimacchi heh heh. Nothing to get worked up about!" Kise said nervously as he held back Midorima.

"Urusai, baka." Aomine said to all of them. "The game is about to continue." And with that, everyone brought their attention back to the game.

~On-Court~

Kuroko walked onto the court, alongside his teammates, and stopped by Akashi. Kuroko was about to say something to Akashi, before he cut Kuroko off.  
"Why are you going so far to win this Tetsuya?" Akashi questioned Kuroko, as they jogged down the court while Hayama had the ball. It seemed that both players had no intention of joining in the game until their conversation was over.

"I've already said it Akashi-kun, to prove to you just how capable I am since you chose to throw me aside and even go as far as to replace me with Mayuzumi." Kuroko answered. Akashi's eyes narrowed at Kuroko.

"It seems that in this last year, you've forgotten who you're dealing with Tetsuya. I know for a fact that you are not the kind of man to hold grudges. Now tell me your **real **reason for doing so." Akashi demanded from Kuroko. For a second or so, Kuroko did not respond.

"I want to prove to you all." Akashi raised an eyebrow, motioning for Kuroko to go on. "I'm not fond of the type of basketball we played in Teiko. Over time, we lost the passion we had for basketball. We were like machines who had but one thought in their head, and that was due win. We played on the same team, yet we weren't teammates. We spent time together, yet we weren't considered friends. I just want things to go back to the way they were before." Kuroko said to Akashi.

"I fail to see how merely winning this game will achieve this goal of yours." Akashi said. Kuroko shook his head, while keeping his eyes on the ball. Regardless of his chances to steal the ball, he refrained from doing so as he wanting to speak with Akashi. He made eye contact with Hyuga, who nodded in response as if understanding. He barked orders at the members of Seirin, who tensed up realizing they wouldn't be getting any help from Kuroko for some time.

"I didn't intend to by winning. I had hoped you would pay attention to us while we played, rather than the game itself." Kuroko corrected Akashi, whose eyes widened.

"When I play with Seirin, I feel comfortable. I can play as I want alongside my companions, and it was then that I realized. Merely playing basketball isn't fun, its best when played with companions who share your love and passion for the game. I enjoy playing alongside all of my senpai, regardless of whether we lose or not. I realized that, that very connection that we share among ourselves, **that **is what we lacked in Teiko." Kuroko said, while finally looking at Akashi.

"Yet losing the match is what provides the lack of satisfaction when finishing a game." Akashi replied. At that moment, a buzzer rang, signaling a score change as Nebuya hooked in a layup over Kiyoshi. "How can you truly say you enjoyed the game, when your very team is useless without your assistance?" Akashi said back to Kuroko.

"That was yet another thing that flawed our team in Teiko. We found satisfaction in nothing but victory. So much that you would dismiss practice, as long as we scored during the game. Yet here in Seirin, I've learned that I can enjoy my games disregarding whether we lose or not as long as I can play happily alongside my teammates. There will always be matches that are lost and won. Yet in Teiko, we've never bothered to consider such thoughts, doing whatever it took to achieve victory. You, no we all disregarded our companionship and competed amongst each other regardless of the fact that we were on the same team. It was these very beliefs that drew us apart. I felt that if I could contradict those very beliefs, then we would gradually grow closer together again, seeing as how our obsession with winning replaced the bonds we had."

Kuroko thoroughly explained his thoughts to Akashi, who began to get an understanding to what Kuroko hoped to achieve, yet was still not convinced. Akashi looked out to the rest of the members on the court, watching them play before responding.

"….I have already accepted this as our loss." Kuroko's eyes widened as Akashi worded his thoughts out. "I may be obsessed with winning, but my sense of logic is one that dominates all in my mentality, and I cannot see a future where we will come out victorious as it is. Yet do you really believe that simply contradicting our beliefs will bring us closer together? This may change our beliefs, but it will not change the hostility we've developed towards each other." Akashi clarified to Kuroko, who merely closed his eyes.

"I can do nothing but hope for the best, Akashi-kun." Kuroko looked up to the ceiling with his eyes remaining closed and drowned in his own thoughts for some time. "If it doesn't change the distance between us, then I'll do it myself." And with that, Kuroko opened his eyes and looked back to Akashi. "I'll make sure that things revert back to the way they were, one way or another. I broke my promise to Momoi-san when we split up, and I intend to fix my mistakes." Kuroko said to Akashi with conviction oozing out of every word he said.

Akashi showed no emotion until Kuroko mentioned the last statement, and smiled slightly, as if recalling something. "You really care for her don't you?" Akashi said to Kuroko rhetorically. Kuroko's eyes widened slightly before returning back to his original poker face.

"Of course, Momoi-san is a dear friend of ours who stood by our si-"

"I truly hope you don't think I'd buy those lies, Tetsuya. I can see through you easily." Akashi cut off Kuroko, whose eyes once again widened yet remained that way, finding no reason to hide his surprise now. Akashi, as if expecting such a reaction, smirked.

"I will not question why you hide your feelings, for such personal thoughts should not be prodded upon. So show me then. Show me how strong your conviction is." Akashi challenged Kuroko. Kuroko, for once gave a full blown, genuine smile to Akashi, noticing the change already taking place before the game had ended. "Nn. Wakatta, Akashi-kun. I'll come at you with everything I, no **we **have." Kuroko replied to Akashi. And with that, the both re-entered into the game.

* * *

Mibuchi fell on his rear on the court, panting for air. The final score was 68-94, with Seirin dominating completely in the 2nd half. '_Kuso, I'd never expect us to lose at all, rather get our ass handed to us._' Mibuchi looked to his teammates, with Hayama and Nebuya sharing the same reaction as him, and Mayuzumi looking down at the ground, covering his face from revealing any emotion.

Looking at him, Mibuchi could not help but feel pity. Mayuzumi had come on court with a presence that challenged the original Phantom Sixth Man, but had been shown up, no- he'd been overpowered and dominated completely. The feelings of pity were short-lasting however; as Mibuchi realized that Mayuzumi would eventually get over the said loss. Roaming over the court, he searched for their final member, whose reaction he was most concerned about. Finding him lying flat out on the court, Mibuchi walked to Akashi cautiously, as if expecting him to lash out.

"A-Akashi. I understand that this loss was unexpected. But please do-" Mibuchi stopped himself as he heard chuckling, which seemed to derive from Akashi, who lay on the court with his eyes closed. "C- Captain?" Mibuchi said, concerned about their leader's sanity.

Akashi's eyes opened, and Mibuchi was surprised to see they were filled with sincerity and warmth, rather than the usual stoned and cold emotions. "I've already accepted defeat. Tetsuya has completely bested me. Yet…..it's strange….I don't know what he's done to me but….for some reason, even though we lost, I can't help but feel that I truly enjoyed this match."

And with that, Mibuchi merely stood there as if making sure he heard Akashi properly. And with that he walked away. '_I'm not sure what he did either…but whatever it is, I'm glad he did it._' Mibuchi thought to himself as he smiled.

Akashi lay on the court for several more second, before getting up and scanning the court. He began walking towards the members of Seirin, who seemed to gather around their bench, alongside the members of GoM and their respective teams, who came out to congratulate them.

~Seirin~

"Uwoooohhhh! We did it! We won the Winter Cup!" Koganei screamed alongside Kawahara and Kiyoshi as they linked their arms above their shoulders.

"Hmph, can't say I'm **not **surprised. As harsh as it sounds, I'm pretty sure no one hear expected you to win. This truly is the first time Akashi has ever lost at anything." Midorima said, seeming to kill the mood.

"O-Oi Midorima! Don't be such a buzz-kill!" Kagami complained to Midorima while chugging down a bottle of Gatorade alongside Hyuga. Riko Aida seemed to be in her own world as she pranced along with Tetsu' in her arms. (the apostrophe in Tetsu signal that it's referring to the dog. If there's a better way to name him, then please say so.).

All of a sudden, everyone tensed up feeling a sense of pressure in the air. They all turned and froze at where the pressure seemed to derive from, seeing Akashi walk up to them. The teams froze; unaware of what to do, while the members of GoM held their guards up. It seemed everyone was wary of seeing how Akashi would react to a loss. Akashi silently walked up to them and scanned over them, before choosing to walk up to Kagami. Kagami clenched his fist, preparing for a fight before showing a face of shock and surprise alongside everyone else when Akashi merely put a hand out.

"…..A game well-played." Akashi said to Kagami, who merely stood there before slowly accepting the handshake. "A-Akashicchi… Are you really okay with losing this match?" Kise said slowly, as if still expecting Akashi to blow up.

Akashi merely smiled at Kise and sighed. "Is everyone really that terrified of me?" Akashi joked around, yet it seemed no one had realized it. "N-No, not at all! This was just unexpected that's all, heh heh!" Kise said rapidly as he swung his hands in front of him in denial. Akashi looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes.

"It's strange, but after hearing what Tetsuya said to me on the court, I couldn't help but unconsciously look at the game in a different perspective. Somehow, even though I lost, I feel like I enjoyed myself out there." Akashi said to everyone. The GoM was taken aback by Akashi's sudden change in personality. Akashi looked back to the huge group of players before continuing.

"Speaking of Tetsuya, where is he? I would like to congratulate him on a game well played. I'm also concerned about his condition." Everyone, as if just realizing Kuroko's unknown condition after entering the Zone, began searching for him frantically.

_THUMP_

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi's scream rang throughout the stadium over the deafening screams of the fans.

Everyone turned their heads to see Kuroko's body lay unconscious on the ground alongside Momoi who was shaking him frantically, showing little to no signs of movement. Veins were popping out of his arms, physically showing the stress on them and his hands were scarred and bleeding slightly from having made such rough contact with the ball when misdirecting and stealing constantly. Everyone shared a look of horror and froze, seeming unable to do something. A split second passed before the GoM reacted, with Kise and Akashi running over to Kuroko and Aomine yelling for a doctor.

Momoi began panicking as tears ran down her face. Up until now, she had been talking with Kuroko, and congratulating him before he suddenly collapsed. Looking at him now, his breathing had taken on an erratic pattern as if it became a struggle to do so and he was not moving.

"Tetsu-kun…please wake up! Please…" Momoi cried as Kuroko was lifted onto a stretcher. "Tetsu-kun!"


	5. Chapter 5: Recovering and Reacquainting

Chapter 5: Recovering and Reacquainting

Akashi and the rest of the GoM, alongside Momoi were relaxing in the hospital room. After Kuroko's collapse yesterday after the game, everyone had been sent into panic and chaos ensued. While Akashi and Kise had gone to Kuroko's side to check his condition, Aomine had yelled for the hired doctor. While they had done so, Midorima and Murasakibara were forced to restrain Seirin, who had begun panicking after seeing the collapse of their partner. Kagami had attempted to rush to Kuroko but was restrained by Murasakibara while Midorima attempted to cool his nerve. The members of Shuutoku, Kaijou and Touou worked to ease the panic roaming through the rest of Seirin.

Although no one meant to push Seirin away, the GoM were well aware that they would not be providing much help in their state of panic, while Kagami's mere hot-headed personality could possibly result in an even graver situation.

And so, it was now the morning after the game, with the members of GoM and Momoi waiting for the doctor's morning checkup. Although no one was allowed in the hospital dorms since visiting hours began two hours later, with some persuasion (and threatening from Akashi) they were able to persuade the doctors into letting them in.

Akashi looked around the small room. Murasakibara had gone out to get more snacks for himself, while Kise sat on the floor by the window. Midorima and Aomine lay back against the walls like Akashi in different position. Momoi had taken the liberty of taking the only seat in the room and placing it by Kuroko's bed and was no fast asleep with her hands grasping one of Kuroko's tightly. No one had bothered to stop Momoi from staying in the dorm overnight (again, required some 'persuasion' to allow).

Looking back at her, Akashi could not help but instinctively reminisce to last night after the game. Momoi had frozen up after Kuroko's collapse, and Akashi and Kise took it upon themselves to bring Kuroko to the doctor's office. Although he hadn't been there, Akashi had heard from Kagami that Momoi had not fared well after Kuroko's departure. Apparently no tears were shed, although Momoi had been trembling, not moving from the very spot where she had been with Kuroko moments before she collapsed.

Eventually, Kise had returned and guided her to the hospital, where Kuroko was being sent. After hearing that surgery would be inevitable if Kuroko was to survive, it was at that point that Momoi had finally broken down, crying hysterically.

Thinking of the surgery, a shiver went down Akashi's spine as he reminisced about the injuries that Kuroko had apparently suffered. Although the injuries did not seem so drastic physically, his body had suffered greatly internally. According to the doctor, the bones in Kuroko's arms had shattered and were disorganized, possibly leading to permanent damage if they were not repositioned correctly before the mending began. But that had been the light of the report.

The doctor had mentioned that approximately 73% of Kuroko's muscle had torn due to the stress placed on them, even the muscles that were not located in his arms of legs. That included the muscle that surrounded his lungs. The doctor reported that Kuroko's lungs had collapsed, which was the cause of his erratic pattern of breathing. They were forced to cover Kuroko's mouth with a mask, manually stimulating the flow of oxygen into his body, seeing as how he could no longer do it himself.

Apparently, surgery was necessary to reposition his bones and reattach the muscle immediately before they began repairing themselves, so that they could heal properly in place. The members of GoM had waited outside the surgery room anxiously, with Kise who was trying to comfort Momoi, but to no avail. The poor woman was lost in her own depression and tears ever since hearing the report on Kuroko's injuries. The mere thought that Kuroko's life was in danger had sent them all through shock.

Shaking himself out of the past, Akashi focused back on the present. The doctor had already said that Kuroko had stabilized, so there was no reason to be so anxious. As of now, Kuroko only had on a cast on both his arms, seeing as how his arms hadn't mended yet. Before exiting after bringing the GoM to Kuroko's room this morning, the doctor had warned them to make sure that Kuroko did not move too much after waking up. Although he had no cast on his chest, Kuroko could not move too much, with the risk that his healing and temporarily tender muscle may tear again.

The members of GoM had originally been shocked at the report of Kuroko's injuries. Their thoughts varied from concern to guilt as it seemed they were responsible for Kuroko's desperation to enter the Zone. Yet there was one thought that ran through all their minds.

They could never allow Kuroko to do such a thing again. Not unless they wanted to risk losing him.

The members of the GoM snapped their heads towards the door at the sound of the chime from the door hitting the bell. The doctor came in with the usual white lab coat and a clipboard. Without saying a single word, he walked over the Kuroko, who remained asleep on the bed alongside Momoi. Making sure not to wake Momoi up, he checked for Kuroko's pulse rate and began pressing in several places. Although Kuroko showed no reaction when he pressed on his arms, he gasped involuntarily when the doctor pushed on his chest.

Kise and Aomine tensed after seeing Kuroko's reaction, but were halted once Akashi put a hand up in order to stop them. The doctor removed his stethoscope from his ears and began writing some notes on the clipboard. After a minute or so, he faced Akashi and spoke.

"It seems that he's officially stabilized and he should be fine in due time. His arms will most likely heal in two weeks or so and so will the muscle. But I highly advise against any harsh training even after he recovers, at least for a week or so. Even after the muscle heals, he will have some difficulty breathing until his freshly made muscle loosens up." The doctor reported to Akashi, who merely nodded his head.

"Is that all?" Akashi asked. "Yes. But just to remind you. The boy will wake soon from the looks of it, most likely tomorrow. Once he does, make sure to limit his movement. If the muscle tears before healing fully, his lungs will collapse again." The doctor reminded Akashi. Akashi nodded his head in confirmation once again.

"Wakatta. Arigatou." And with that, the doctor exited the room. At the sound of the chime, Momoi awoke from her sleep, yawning as stretched her arms out. As she did so, her chest rose while her breasts bounced slightly. Aomine, noticing this, looked away rapidly to avoid the blush from being noticed by the other, although he could not escape Akashi's view. Akashi merely raised an eyebrow at Aomine's reaction. Even back at Teiko, Momoi always had a voluptuous body; one that never seemed to really bother Aomine, who never really showed an interest in his childhood friend. Akashi could already foresee tension possible rising between Kuroko and Aomine in the future, and chose to take it upon himself to replace Kuroko as the mediator of the group, does the situation call for such an action.

Momoi blinked her eyes rapidly, seemingly unaware of her environment and what had happened. Looking down, she saw Kuroko on the body and her eyes widened as she recalled the event yesterday. All she could remember was Kuroko's inconsistent pattern of breathing that made it seem like he was choking. Before she could scream or what seemed like a scream would come out, Kise covered her mouth with his hand and put a hand on her shoulder once he felt her tense up.

"Shhh, calm down Momocchi. The doctor said he'll be fine, but be careful not to wake him up." Kise comforted Momoi, who nodded before Kise removed his hand from her mouth. She slowly turned back to Kuroko and traced a line along his face with her hands as tears threatened to fall from her face again.

Although they were reassured that Kuroko would definitely recover, they could not get rid of the depressing atmosphere in the room. The room remained silent until Momoi spoke up.

"….Did the doctor say when Tetsu-kun would wake up?" Momoi asked silently to no one in particular, yet Midorima was the one to reply. "No time today." Yes, the doctor had mentioned that Kuroko would most likely remain unconscious for the rest of the day. Yet the members of GoM felt slightly uncomfortable with what to do and say once Kuroko woke up. Of course, after they had gotten past the words of concern and scolding for overdoing it, what would they say? Normally it wouldn't have been so bad, minus the tension from everyone being gathered together. Hell even now, there would be tension, had one of them not been bedridden. They could do nothing but wait until Kuroko regained consciousness.

"…There's nothing we can do but wait now." Akashi said. He turned to Momoi, who never took her gaze off Kuroko while continuing to caress his face. He had no desire to tear the woman apart from him, seeing how devastated she was last night, yet he was fully aware of the toll it would take on her. "Satsuki, I understand that you are concerned for Tetsuya's wellbeing, but you must take into account your own well-being. We'll come back first thing tomorrow morning." Akashi said to Momoi, who did not respond.

Slowly but evidently, Momoi nodded her head and got up. Kise comforted her as the group walked out of the room.

But unbeknownst to them, Kuroko had also woken up when the doctor first entered the room, unlike Momoi. Due to the rush of fatigue he felt, he had no desire to show that he had woken up, fully aware of the ruckus it would cause. The first thing he was aware of when waking up was the immense amount of pain coursing throughout his body. It felt like his whole body was sore all over, but to a whole new level. He also took note of how difficult it was to breathe properly and was thankful for the mask that was providing him with oxygen.

Kuroko heard the doctor's report of his injuries, and was got off guard himself after hearing the extent of the damage. Had he really not noticed any of said injuries during his time in the Zone? He was fully aware that the Zone degrades the player's perception of his surroundings and etcetera, but he wasn't aware that it was to this extent. The last time he had entered the Zone, the damage wasn't so drastic, albeit soreness and sluggish reactions, although that was most likely due to the fact that he was merely testing it out by himself on-court.

Once Momoi had woken up and began caressing his face, he could not help but let a small smile dance across his face. The feeling of her soft hand sliding across his cheek had come across has a sense of comfort and content to him. Which is why when he heard Akashi speak to Momoi and exit, he popped open one eye lid and watched them leave.

Once they had left, Kuroko opened both his eyes to get a good look at his surroundings. Attempting to get up, he winced as he felt a stroke of pain dash across his chest and through his arms as he instinctively brought up an elbow on the bed to push himself up. Recalling what the doctor said about his injuries, he decided against getting up and laid back down on the bed.

'_The boy will wake up soon from the looks of it, most likely tomorrow_'

Remembering what the doctor said, Kuroko closed his eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep. '_Tomorrow_' Kuroko thought. Tomorrow, he'll confront the members of the GoM.

~The Next Day~

Kuroko had woken up to the feeling of an unknown pressure that lay on his hands. He opened his eyes slowly, and blinked rapidly to get rid of the blurriness. Looking around, his eyes fell upon the traces of pink hair that lay stranded on a hand that covered his. Smiling to himself, he traced the hair back to Momoi's head, who was currently sleeping on his bed, with his legs serving as a pillow.

Slowly and quietly, he sat up and looked around the room. It seemed that Momoi had snuck in earlier by herself and fell asleep by Kuroko's side. He reached out to her, and noticed that the doctor had come in before, (whether it was early morning or last night, he didn't know) and changed his cast. Now, instead of having a cast that completely covered his arms, he merely had one that covered his forearms and reached up to his palm, leaving his fingers visible.

Seeing this, Kuroko reached out and began roaming his left fingers through Momoi's hair. Hearing her sigh in content and watching a smile dance across her face, Kuroko smiled slightly, satisfied with the quiet moment he had with her. He let her hair flow through his hands and only one thought went through his head in the moment.

'_Soft_'

At the sound of the door opening, Kuroko turned his head, expecting the doctor to come in and scold Momoi for sneaking in before visiting hours. Yet he was surprised to see Akashi, Midorima and Aomine come in through the door. At the sight of Kuroko being awake, their eyes widened. Aomine opened his mouth and was prepared to say something, but was cut off by Kuroko, who put a finger to his lips.

"Shhh" He then pointed downwards towards his lap, and their eyes widened even further, just taking notice of Momoi sleeping on his lap. A few second later, Kise and Murasakibara entered along with several snacks. They shared the same reaction as the other three, but Kuroko wasn't fast enough to warn them before Kise spoke out.

"Kurokocchi! You're awake!" Kise exclaimed. He was met with a group of "Shhh!" from the three GoM who first came in. Momoi stirred in her sleep and shifted slightly, before Kuroko began running his hand through her hair again, coaxing her to sleep. Kise sweatdropped and chuckled slightly while scratching the back of his head, as he realized the situation at hand.

"How are you feeling?" Midorima was the first to speak in the room. Kuroko shifted his gaze to Midorima. "There's not much pain in my arm unless I apply pressure and the pain in my chest seemed to have receded….although breathing seems to be a bit difficult as of now." Kuroko answered back. Akashi responded by merely shaking his head.

"The doctor had informed us that such a problem would arise. He also mentioned straying from any strenuous activities until your muscles fully heal. While I may not hold superiority over you any longer, I highly advise doing as the doctor says." Akashi advised to Kuroko, who responded by nodding his head back at Akashi.

Seeing as how the problem with Kuroko's condition was taken care of, Kise brought up another thought that was on his mind. "But Akashicchi, are you really okay with losing the finals. I didn't expect you to take it so lightly." Kise mentioned.

Looking back, Kise along with Midorima and Murasakibara broke down after losing to Kuroko, while Aomine merely fell into a state of shock and disbelief. Yet Akashi had simply accepted it in a mere matter of seconds.

After Kise's comment, Akashi closed his eyes and looked up to the ceiling. "Enjoyment." Was all he said before he remained silent for a minute or so. He then opened his eyes, but focused his gaze on the ceiling.

"It was a feeling that I had not truly felt since first starting in Teiko. I truly believed that the satisfaction I felt in remaining victorious was what I felt as enjoyment. Yet I never realized it was the one feeling I lacked when playing games until last night." Akashi said. He looked over to Kuroko, who was facing him with a smile similar to the one on his own face.

"Besides, I'm a man of logic after all. It was clear that we had lost that match. Rather than denying it and continuing to struggle, I chose to heed Kuroko's advice and took notice as to how Seirin played." Akashi looked to his fellow GoM players before continuing. "I'm assuming that we are all aware of Tetsuya's overpowering aspects when in the Zone." After seeing them nod in confirmation, he closed his eyes and continued.

"It was at that point that I realized his intentions. He **wanted** us to notice his similarity to us during Teiko. Like us back then, he had overpowered his opponents with sheer skill and completely controlled the game. Or rather, he could've controlled it, like we did. Instead, he chose to continue relying on his teammates, incorporating them into his play style even though it was unnecessary. Unlike us, who competed amongst each other for superiority and kept the ball to ourselves, Tetsuya refused to go down the same path and chose to play **with **his teammates rather than against them." Akashi ended his speech and looked back at Tetsuya, who was sporting a genuine smile at him.

"I believe that was what Tetsuya was trying to do, to show us the reason that we lost our passion in Teiko. It was our mere competitiveness and refusal to share the spotlight that had destroyed the passion we shared for basketball." Akashi said.

"But I must say, I do believe I speak for all of us when I say we never expected you to be the kind of man to hold grudges, Kuroko." Midorima said, facing Kuroko.

"Nn. You looked pretty scary last night, Kurokocchi!" Kise approved of Midorima's remark, nodding his head fervently. Aomine smacked his head with a fist, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Baka! Th-"

"Shhh!" Aomine was cut off by Kuroko, who had to remind them again that Momoi was still sleeping on his lap.

"Baka!" Aomine said in a whisper. "That's not the point. The point is that we must've hurt Tetsu **that **badly, if he's holding a grudge against us."

"Intimidation." Everyone turned their heads to Kuroko, who spoke out of the blue.

"Nani." Kise asked. "I read in a book, that one of the best methods to gaining an upper-hand over someone was to apply pressure onto them. The book had mentioned intimidation being an effective method for applying pressure." Kuroko said in an informative tone as he held an index finger up.

….

….

….

"So that whole speech about showing us up….." Aomine trailed off.

"Nn." Kuroko said nothing his head. "It was merely a façade to persuade you into believing that I had such a dark side."

Murasakibara's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as Midorima and Aomine's jaws dropped and Kise collapsed. Akashi merely chuckled and shook his head left and right. "It seems that we must remain wary of Tetsuya from now on." Akashi said while continuing to laugh. The corners of Kuroko's mouth curved up into a small smile at the sight before him. Just the day before the finals, they met up in an atmosphere that practically spelled danger. Now they were all thrown into a small hospital room, with not a single trace of tension in the air.

Kuroko looked on in satisfaction, feeling that he was truly making progress in bringing them back together.

"Regardless, I still feel the need to apologize on behalf of the GoM for the way we treated you back then Tetsuya. It seems that our blinded perspectives and competitive personalities had blinded us from the suffering we forced you to go through." Akashi said while the rest of the GoM nodded their heads in agreement.

Kuroko closed his eyes and leaned back on the headrest. "Back then….it was painful. Knowing that I had lost my place in Teiko made me feel lonely. We would still walk together, but I was always lonely, feeling out of place." Kuroko looked down to Momoi, who still remained fast asleep.

Midorima raised an eyebrow. "If it was as bad as you made it sound, then exactly how is it that you stood before us defiantly after graduating? The Kuroko from back then does not seem like the boy who would be so strong-willed and so."

Kuroko never took his eyes of Momoi. "Although I felt out of place among us, I wanted to be there for Momoi-san." Aomine's eyes widened at Kuroko's remark. "Even though she hardly showed it, I could tell she was going through the same pain I was… Although she never had that feeling of replacement, she was fully aware of the tension between us. All I had wanted to do back then was to simply keep the smile on her face. Seeing her smile always gave me a feeling of content when we were all together…" Kuroko remained silent for awhile after the last comment.

Kise smiled sadly, as if reminiscing about said days, while Aomine looked away and Akashi and Midorima took on a face of guilt. And for the first time, Murasakibara lost the appetite to continue eating.

"…..I had made a promise to Momoi-san back then." Everyone turned back to Kuroko, who had continued to talk after some time. "She had asked me if we were going to stay together, and I said we would. I told her I would take it upon myself to make sure of it. It was that very promise and the one I made to Ogiwara-kun that gave me the courage to continue forward and fight for what I wanted."

Akashi smiled at Kuroko, who kept his eyes on Momoi and ran his fingers through her hair.

'_You've matured since then, Kuroko_' Akashi thought to himself.

At that moment, Momoi began to stir in her sleep. Everyone tensed up, wary of her reaction to seeing Kuroko awake. She had seemed to be the most devastated, constantly crying since his collapse during the game. Kuroko was struck with indecision as he debated whether to coax her back to sleep, or to finally confront her. Regardless of what he chose, it seemed too late as Momoi got up from her position.

She stretched out her arms and yawned, lifting her shirt up and showing her midriff section, at which both Kuroko and Aomine flushed suddenly. Momoi rubbed her eyes to get rid of the blurry vision she temporarily had. After doing so, she stared at Kuroko.

Blink.

Blink, blink.

For a moment or two, all was silent as Momoi continued to stare at Kuroko, who returned her gaze.

"O-Ohayo, Momoi-san." Kuroko said uncomfortably.

….

….

"Tetsu-kun!" All of a sudden, Momoi threw herself at Kuroko, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing the life out of him. "M-Momocchi!" Kise said warily. Kuroko was not fully healed yet and they were concerned as to how his body would take such an assault.

"M-Momoi-san…" Kuroko gasped. He began tapping on the bed ferociously, disregarding the pain that resulted in his arms from doing so as he struggled to breathe.

For some reason, Akashi and Midorima seemed to find the situation amusing as Aomine stood their awkwardly, unsure of whether he should separate them or not.

"Ehhhh? I want a hug too Sa-chin~" Murasakibara said in a monotone voice as he began to munch on his chips again.

"Itaii….M-Momoi-san….I- I can-can't breathe." Kuroko gasped. He felt his right arm lodged between her breasts, and could not fight back the blush that grew on his face. Momoi took no notice of Kuroko's problem as she held on even tighter and began to cry.

"T-Tetsu-kun…." Momoi said several times as she continued to cry.

"M-Momocchi, Kuroko's still injured! Be careful!" Kise yelled. He did not want to be the mood killer by separating them, yet it seems he was the only one who seemed to be thinking logically in the group, ironically.

Momoi gasped suddenly, as if realizing the situation Kuroko was in. She pulled back suddenly, the tears still tracing down her cheeks. "G-Gomen, Tetsu-kun! Daijobu?" Momoi asked concernedly.

Kuroko winced as the pain ran across his chest from the impact. Although his muscles had mostly healed, they were still tender and vulnerable to stress. And although he enjoyed the contact, he had no intention of having to go through struggle to breathe and surgery again.

Regardless, he managed a small smile as he wiped the tears from Momoi's face with the fingers that were visible on his left hand. "Nn. I'm fine, Momoi-san. Arigatou, for keeping me company."

Momoi did not respond, as she re-attached herself to Kuroko and began pounding on his right shoulder while she laid her head on his left one. She began crying once again.

"Baka…Baka-Tetsu…I was so scared….You weren't breathing ok, and you wouldn't move…They said you were going to die…." Momoi cried softly as she continued to pound his right shoulder with her fist.

The members of GoM stood there awkwardly, unsure of whether they should leave the two alone or not.

Aomine merely looked away, as he did not want his depressed emotions to ruin the mood. He looked out the window, enviously. For some reason, even though they knew each other their whole lives, he had just recently begun developing feelings for Momoi since their entrance to Touou. He wasn't sure if it was because of the extra attention he now had from her, but all he was aware of was that he had begun to fall for her.

'_Even when we split and I was all she had, you still had Satsuki all over you, Tetsu_' Aomine thought enviously. He turned back to the group, and hid the pain he felt after seeing Momoi holding Kuroko tightly, who was trying to comfort the girl. Finally, Akashi motioned for the group to exit the room.

"Tetsuya." Akashi called out. Kuroko turned his head in response, while patting Momoi's back with his right arm. "The doctor informed us that you may leave in a wheelchair, as long as you are supervised. We will be waiting across the street in the restaurant, alongside several of our teammates and Seirin. Make sure to sign yourself out and to bring Satsuki with you." Akashi informed to Kuroko as they headed out.

After Kise shut the door on the way out, Kuroko returned his gaze to Momoi, who had finished crying but continued to lay her head on his left shoulder while gripping his right one with her left hand.

"Gomen, Momoi-san. It seems I've given you quite the scare." Kuroko said light-heartedly. Momoi did not respond and kept her face covered in Kuroko's shoulder. Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed in concern and confusion as he waited for Momoi to say something.

"Momoi-san?" Kuroko called out to Momoi, who respond by snuggling closer. "…I was so scared….I didn't know what to do, I felt so helpless…" Momoi whimpered. She then looked up to Kuroko, her eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall again. "Promise me." She said.

"Promise me you won't do that again." Momoi said to Kuroko. Kuroko hesitated and bit on his lip. He was fully aware of the consequences of entering the Zone, and never bothered to use it, even if a loss seemed imminent. The only reason he used it just before was merely because he wasn't sure when he would get the chance to verse Akashi again. But does the need ever call for him to enter the Zone, whether it be for a burst of speed or a fight…..

"Momoi-san, I-" "Promise me Tetsu-kun. _Please_" Momoi cut off Kuroko and pleaded with him. She then re-buried her face into his shoulder. "The pain I felt when you had collapsed, it was worse than the time in Teiko. Back then, I had you to rely on for comfort, but if you had died just now, just who could I go to for comfort?" Momoi ended, leaving that question in the air for Kuroko, who had no response.

While the GoM would work to comfort her, he highly doubted they would make any progress. During the conflict in Teiko, Kuroko and Momoi had grown ever-closer than before as they relied on each other for comfort during those difficult times. As such, Kuroko could only see himself fit to comfort Momoi if the moment called for it.

"Please, just promise me. No matter what, you won't do such a thing again. Don't make me suffer like that again…" Momoi said pleadingly. Kuroko gave a soft smile to Momoi, who couldn't see it but felt the vibrations as Kuroko let out a soft chuckle.

"Hai, I promise." Kuroko said with a smile. Momoi looked up to him and smiled. Just then, it seemed Momoi had reverted back to her original self, as she took notice of the suggestive position they were in. Momoi lay on top of Kuroko, practically straddling him, with their faces literally an inch apart. Her face flushed as she backed up instinctively.

'_Tetsu-kun and I, we almost kissed!_' Momoi's face flushed even more as she began imagining a provocative scene.

~In Momoi's Head~

"Promise me, Tetsu-kun~ Don't leave me…" An over-dramatic Momoi said to Kuroko as she stared into his eyes.

"Of course Momoi-san. I will **never **leave you." Kuroko held Momoi in his arms and brought her in closer. "I love you too much to let go…" And with that, their lips sealed together in eternal bliss~

~Exit Momoi's Head~

'_K-Kawaiiiii_' Momoi thought to herself as she held her face in her hands and blushed at her daydreams. She then noticed Kuroko, who had moved himself over to her, clearly concerned and disregarding the small distance in between them.

Momoi froze in shock at the small distance in between them once again.

'_Is this my chance? Is he finally encouraging me to make a move and lean forward?! Do I dare?_' Momoi's head was in turmoil as she debated with herself.

"Momoi-san. Daijobu?" Kuroko asked concernedly. After backing away, Momoi had stared off into space for some time, leaving Kuroko worried. After leaning in, it seemed she woke up from her trance, but remained frozen.

"H-Hai!" Momoi said rapidly.

"Akashi-kun said the doctor is allowing me to leave the hospital today in a wheelchair. Would it be too much of a bother if I asked you to control the wheelchair and bring us to the restaurant across the street?" Kuroko asked to Momoi after backing up and increasing the space between them to a comfortable distance.

Momoi froze again as an animated arrow pierced her heart.

'_I-Is this a confession. It's happening so fast. Tetsu-kun is asking me out on a date?_'

"It seems our friends are awaiting our arrival as we speak in the restaurant, Kuroko said as he looked out the window. The animated enlarged heart that was beating in Momoi's chest cracked at that statement as her original thoughts were shot down. Kuroko, noticing the distraught look on her face, frowned slightly.

"If it's too much of a bother, it's quite alright. I can ju-"

"Nonono!" Momoi said as she swung her hands in front of her in denial. In the long period of time that she remained silent, it seems that she had given Kuroko the wrong idea. "It's not problem at all Tetsu-kun! I'd love to!" Momoi said reassuringly.

The frown did not leave Kuroko's face as he tilted his head. "Are you sure, Momoi-san? I'd hate to intrude on any plans you had." Kuroko said to Momoi.

Momoi's eyes were replaced with beating hearts as she heard Kuroko's last statement.

'_Tetsu-kun is worried about me! And the way he tilts his head! K-K-Kawaiiiii_'

Momoi shook the thoughts out of her head, fearing she may give Kuroko the wrong idea again. "Nn! Let's go as soon as possible!" Momoi said to Kuroko.

At that remark, Kuroko's frown was replaced with an actual full-blown rare smile, much to Momoi's happiness, and nodded.

"Hai! Let's go right away!"


	6. Chapter 6: Stronger When Together

Chapter 6: Strong, But Together? Even Stronger

****Hey everyone, just to remind you. Right now, I'd like to say that I'm posting at a fast pace, but that's only because I have an idea of what to generally write for the chapters. But as soon as I use up my original ideas, the chapters may start being posted at a slower rate, as I think of some new ideas. I didn't exactly plan this story from beginning to end. So like I said, It'd be really appreciated if you just wrote down some suggestions for chapters in the reviews or by simply messaging me. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Sugoi, where does all of it go?" Takao asked in awe as they all watched in disbelief

_CHUNK MUNCH MUNCH_

"It must be a fast metabolism or all the rigorous training…Either that, or he really isn't human…" Kasamatsu muttered as he sat frozen in his seat.

_MUNCH MUNCH….GULP_

"Heh heh, it seems some old habits really do die hard…" Himuro said embarrassingly as he watched alongside the others.

In front of them was Kagami…or who they assumed was Kagami behind the overshadowing mountain of food that blocked the view of him. The only proof they had that Kagami was still eating and making progress was the vulgar noises that resulted from him stuffing his mouth, with the occasional sound of him chugging down a gulp of his Sprite.

The teams had gathered together in the restaurant across the street from Kuroko's party. It seemed like a casual café, nothing too fancy, that sported a banner saying _WELCOME BACK_

Although Kuroko had been hospitalized for only three days, Seirin and the other teams who had taken a liking to the mysterious boy grew increasingly concerned after hearing the extent of his injuries. After hearing from Akashi that Kuroko would be discharged today, Seirin had decided to invite everyone out to lunch for his return.

Kagami was disrupted from his meal abruptly by a hard fist to the top of his head. Although they could not see it, Takao, Kasamatsu and Himuro flinched at the sound it made, and could assume what had happened.

"O-Oi! What the hell was that for?!" Kagami said as he rubbed to top of his head tenderly. He looked up to Riko Aida, who was standing and massaging her fist after smashing it onto his head.

"Baka!" Riko Aida retorted. "There's only so much food they can give you before they run out! And leave some for when Kuroko arrives!" Riko scolded Kagami, who merely mumbled and ate at a slower pace. She then directed her gaze to the three across from him.

"And you three! Why are you sitting at our table?!" She yelled while pointing her index finger at them threateningly. Takao merely shrugged while Kasamatsu looked away and Himuro smiled slightly.

"Neh, is it so bad for me to want to spend some quality time with a brother of mine?" Himuro asked playfully.

Takao merely shrugged and muttered an "I like it better here…."

Kasamatsu kept his eyes on his team while speaking. "It sure beats sitting with everyone else." He said to no one in particular. Riko Aida followed his gaze while looking at where the other teams sat and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Only just no did she notice the tension in the air. The members of Touou, Shuutoku, Kaijou and Yosen sat adjacent to each other. As such, they were constantly giving harsh glares of distrust and danger at each other, even though the Winter Cup was over.

'_It seems that there's still a lot of tension between them….So why…._' Riko Aid thought as her eyebrows twitched and she turned over to the table by the window. It seemed that Takao, Himuro and Kasamatsu shared the same thoughts as they stared in the same direction she did.

'_Why….why is there such a lack of tension over there of all places?! _

_What the hell is with that table?!_'

were the thoughts that ran through everyone's head at one point, and seemed to run through Riko Aida's mind now. Currently, they were staring at the table that was right in front of the window that gave a full view of outside.

* * *

It seemed that the GoM had, although not stated, reserved that table for them specifically. Yet instead of developing a deadly tension like last time when Kuroko met up with Kise and Midorima after Shuutoku's loss, there was absolutely no tension today.

As of now, Aomine and Midorima were pulling at each other's cheeks while arguing, while Murasakibara was munching on a candy bar instead of the food on one side. On the other side, Akashi was shaking his head disapprovingly yet chuckling, while doing nothing to stop them as Kise merely chuckled lightheartedly. There were two vacant seats in between Kise and the window that were clearly for Kuroko and Momoi.

"Sheesh, for a bunch of guys that can be so intimidating, their personalities sure do fluctuate a lot." Takao said half-heartedly as he watched the small tussle between Aomine and Midorima. Kagami merely turned an eye at them, and shrugged.

"Meh they aren't as tough as you take them out to be." Kagami said half-heartedly as he continue to eat.

"K-Kagami!" Riko Aida scolded him.

"I'm just saying, you all make them out to be invincible players, yet we were able to beat them. Sure, it was a struggle, but they weren't what I had expected after hearing what Kuroko sa-" Kagami was cut off after he was smashed on his head again, but this time, by Himuro himself.

"O-Oi, Himuro! Not you too!" Kagami yelled. It seemed after had developed a knack for hitting him. Himuro merely continue eating his meal. It was Kasamatsu who had spoke for his actions.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kagami." Kasamatsu said sternly.

"Although we are, by no means underestimating you, it seems that it's you who's underestimating them." Takao followed up.

"While you are exceptionally good, Kagami-kun, these are people who can take down teams on their very own without assistance." Kiyoshi supported them. It seems that even all of Seirin, who had also participated in beating them, seemed to hold the same feelings.

"Just how far do you think you would've gotten without Kuroko's help, and even maybe us? Did you already forget our first match against Touou and how we relied on Kuroko's Misdirection Overflow to actually _win_ our rematch?" Hyuga added on. Kagami was about to retort after with Kiyoshi had said, but remained silent after Hyuga's remark.

Reminiscing, it seemed that Kuroko had played an even more vital of a role than Kagami did. Although Kagami remained the powerhouse of the team, it had been Kuroko that lent him support, that gave him advice when going up against the GoM, and had managed to get him the ball somehow. Although Kagami could be dense at times, even he could see it clearly.

All those matches, they most likely only won them due to Kuroko's guidance and capabilities. While it seemed that everyone in the room had noticed this, no one noticed Akashi's face falter after hearing Kagami's original criticizing remark. He clenched his fist tightly and closed his eyes. Second later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see the members of GoM looking at him concernedly.

"Neh Akashicchi, are you all right. You seemed to be a bit stressed out." Kise asked him directly. Akashi gave a soft smile and nodded.

"Nn, don't worry I'm fine. It seems that I haven't fully recovered from the game the other day." Akashi covered up. Aomine remained unconvinced though as he stared at Akashi.

"….Are you sure this doesn't have to do with your loss to Tetsu?" Aomine brought up suddenly. Akashi flinched slightly at the reminder, but whatever emotions that went through him at the moment, he was sure to keep down. Before he could respond though, Midorima backed him up.

"While it seems hard to believe, you should know, just like all of us that Akashi is a man of logic. He does not randomly just spout that whatever he says is right. And he most definitely is not so barbaric as to lose his temper once he comes to the logical decision that loss is imminent." Midorima said while Kise nodded in approval.

"That's right! Akashicchi is really smart! Neh?" Kise said to Akashi, who smiled slightly and nodded.

Aomine remained undeterred as he stared at Akashi.

'_Are you trying to convince us of that, or yourself Akashi…_?' Aomine thought to himself, yet kept quiet about his thoughts. Kise, noticing the depressing atmosphere in the air currently, tried to change the topic.

"Neh, where's Kurokocchi and Momocchi? What's taking them so long; we left them almost two hours ago!" Kise said as he jumped out of his seat. "I hope they're not doing anything inappropriate! I'll be extreeeeemely jealous~"

"….I'm right here Kise-kun. And please refrain from thinking and saying such perverted thoughts out loud. It's quite embarrassing…"

…..

…..

Kise turned to his right to see Kuroko in a wheelchair and Momoi with her hands on the handlebars while blushing slightly after hearing what Kise said. Everyone in the café turned their heads to where Kuroko was.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

"K-KUROKO?!" Was the general reaction among all the people there.

"K-Kurokocchi! How long have you been there?!" Kise asked as he stood there, abashed. Even after years of being around Kuroko, it seemed none had gotten used to his spontaneous appearances.

'_Even in a freakin' wheelchair, no one notices him….and what the hell is with Satsuki?! Does his whole invisibility think ooze off him or something?! No one even noticed her either!_' were the thoughts that went through Aomine's head as he regained his composure.

"Nn. I arrived shortly after Midorima-kun's speech about Akashi-kun." Kuroko informed the group. Kise seemed to still be caught off guard, but shrugged it off.

"N-Never mind that! Come sit down over here!" Kise motioned for Kuroko and Momoi to sit next to him in the vacant seats by the window.

"Hmph, as expected it seems quite impossible to catch him by a surprise welcome. Quite ironic, the way things turned out." Midorima remarked. It seemed that he, alongside Akashi and Murasakibara had maintained their composure the whole time….although Murasakibara may not have noticed him yet still.

"Eh? How come Tetsu has to sit next to you?" Aomine complained to Kise.

"That's because there are no more seats by Aominecchi's side. So I made sure to leave two seats available here! See? I can be smart at times too! Neh, Kurokocchi~?" Kise said to Kuroko. Aomine looked around to see that Kise was indeed correct.

"Midorima."

"Hm? What is, Aomine?"

"….Get out of your seat."

"N-Nani?!" Midorima said. Aomine's orders had caught him off-guard slightly.

"Why should I have to move just so Kuroko could sit by you? Just deal with it for now! Stop being so immature" Midorima retorted to Aomine before going back to his meal.

"Oi, wait just a second, how come he has to sit next to you guys? He should sit by use, we're his team for Pete's sake!" Kagami complained.

"That's right! And Satsuki-chan should be sitting by us, her own members!" the members of Touou yelled, craving the presence of their beautiful manager. Imayoshi merely shook his head and sighed at his team's immaturity.

Kuroko did nothing to act upon their words, as Momoi helped him into his spot in the table, helping herself afterwards. As of now, Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara sat on one end with Momoi, Kuroko and Kise on the other and Akashi at the front across from the window view.

"How are you injuries, Kuroko?" Midorima asked before anyone else could start up a conversation.

Kuroko avoided eye contact as he began to order his food. "On my way out, I met with the doctor, who informed me that he would call once it was time for me to remove my casts."

As if noticing another problem, Kise brought up another question. "Neh, Kurokocchi, how do you plan on eating with both your hands being in a cast…." Kise asked while placing a hand under his chin as he thought to himself. He then snapped his fingers, as if coming upon an idea.

"Ah hah! We can just grind the food up and a blender and you can just drink it through a straw!" Kise said in triumph, confident in his solution.

…..

…..

"Kise…" Midorima called out to Kise, who turned his head in response. "Hmm?" Kise called out in reply.

"….Perhaps it's best if you leave such problems for us to solve, Ryota" Akashi said as he shook his head in disappointment. Aomine merely 'tch' and looked away.

"How dumb can a person get…" Aomine said. Ignoring Kise's yells of protest, he continued. "We'll just get someone to feed Tetsu for hi-"

"I'll do it!" Aomine was cut off and flinched at Momoi's sudden outburst as she jumped out of her chair and raised her hand. Noticing that she had attracted the attention of everyone in the café, Momoi blushed slightly in embarrassment and lowered back into her seat. "I- I mean, I can feed Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said in a lower tone but with the same amount of passion.

Akashi merely raised an eyebrow, but said nothing to deny Momoi of permission to do so. After Momoi had ordered her food as well alongside Kuroko, she inspected the café's interior and the people inside it. While the café itself looked nice, it was hard to miss the growing tension between the members of each team. Momoi smiled to herself as she took notice of the fact that there was absolutely no tension deriving from their own table.

While Aomine and Midorima **were **getting into arguments just as often as before, there was no serious conflict going on, as if it were a mere debate amongst family members. She turned to Kuroko, who paid no attention to his surroundings as he became quite fascinated in the intricate casts that enveloped his arms, and her smile grew even further.

Although she wasn't glad it had occurred, Kuroko's actions during the last game had flipped some sort of switch, as if opening the door that had sealed the true colors of the GoM. As of now, although it wasn't at the same level, it was as if the GoM had never gone through the conflict that separated them. Everything seemed almost as they were before, with Aomine and Midorima sharing half-hearted arguments, Kise making un-intelligent yet amusing remarks while bringing light to the group, Murasakibara eating his snack (though that never changed….) and Kuroko and Akashi watching from the sidelines in satisfaction.

She then turned her head to Seirin's table, where their members chatted amongst themselves. She did not miss the small actions they shared, such as the half-assed beatdowns on Kagami out of good-intentions, and the family bonding they shared. And seeing all this, there was only one thing she felt as she watched them behave amongst their own.

_Desire_

Seeing Seirin reminded Momoi of the GoM back when they were in Teiko; back when **they **used to bully Kise for fun due to his junior status and when they would have their bonding moments. After they split up, the gap that Momoi felt in her chest was never replaced, even when she stuck by Aomine's side. On the contrary, it seemed as if the gap had merely widened due to Aomine's cold exterior. While Momoi knew better than to believe that Aomine was the cold-hearted jerk he seemed to be, his course of actions this past year had done nothing to provide her with the comfort she desired.

And while the members of Touou had been more than willing to welcome her, they didn't share the type of bonds that they did in Teiko, **or **that Seirin had currently. Seeing the members of Seirin was no different than merely seeing a huge family gathering, one that Momoi longed to join. It was this feeling that had gotten the gears grinding in her head.

_What if I transferred? Would Aomine-kun be okay? Would he be okay __**with **__that? And would Seirin accept me, someone who had originally been an enemy?_

While she had no doubt that Kuroko would accept her, or at least she hoped he would, she was slightly concerned about whether the rest would, or whether it would be the right move at **all**. The main reason she chose to go to Touou was to stay by Aomine's side and watch over him. Would leaving now be okay, or would that defeat the whole purpose of going to Touou in the first place?

Momoi most likely would've remained in her trance while staring at Seirin's table, had it not been for Kuroko's face that suddenly appeared in front of her. Momoi drew aback in surprise. "T-T-Tetsu-kun!" Momoi exclaimed in surprise.

"…The food has arrived, Momoi-san." Kuroko replied. Momoi turned her head, and sure enough, the food had arrived on their table. It seemed that Kuroko had ordered a well-done steak and potatoes with a side dish of omelet rice. Momoi took a deep breath and prepared herself. The last thing she wanted to do was spill the food over Kuroko, or she would be humiliated in front of everyone and gain Kuroko's disapproval.

"Nn!" Momoi nodded her head in determination as a fire lit in her eyes.

Kise sweatdropped at this and chuckled half-heartedly. "I think you're getting a bit to excited, Momocchi…." Kise said as he laughed slightly and scratched the back of his head.

Momoi paid no attention as she carefully sliced a strip of steak and laid it on top of a spoon of mashed potatoes. She brought the spoon to Kuroko, who had opened his mouth in anticipation. Momoi's hand began trembling as she watched on and as the spoon got closer, she could feel Kuroko's breath travel onto her hand.

_I-I'm really feeding Tetsu-kun. The way he opens his mouth, his warm breath… I can hear my own heart beat!_

Momoi's face was growing red rapidly as sweat began to form slightly on her forehead. Her reaction did nothing to ease the trembling of her hand. Finally, Kuroko closed down on the spoon and savored the flavor of steak and potatoes combined. He chewed down on the food and swallowed, smiling at Momoi.

"Arigatou, Momoi-san. The food is delicious." Kuroko said with a small smile across his face.

"H-Hai!" Momoi on the other-hand….was panting as if she had run a marathon, with a blush still present on her as she clenched her hands around the spoon.

The members of the GoM sweatdropped at Momoi's overdramatic reactions to feeding Kuroko. "M-Momoi, perhaps it'd be best if you left feeding Kuroko to one of us inst-" Midorima began but was cut off by Momoi, who swung her hands in front of her rapidly.

"No! I-I can do it! As Tetsu-kun's wife, it is my job to take care of him when he is in such a situation!" Momoi said strong-willed as she raised her spoon in glory and proclaimed herself as Kuroko's wife.

"Momoi-san…." Kuroko said as he watched on.

"M-Momocchi, there's no need to be so exaggerated. Why don't you let me fe…." Kise trailed off as he noticed the dark glare he was receiving from Momoi. "N-Never mind! Heh heh!" Kise said immediately as he began sweating rapidly. Kuroko paid no attention to them, as his focus remained on Akashi.

This whole time, Akashi had remained silent, instead of criticizing someone on their actions, something that told Kuroko that something may be wrong. "Akashi-kun? Is everything all right?" Kuroko called out to Akashi, who did not respond to Kuroko's calls.

"Akashi-kun?" Kise called out after seeing Akashi's lack of response. Midorima placed a hand on Akashi's arm.

Akashi's head snapped up, as if he had just woken up from bed. The members of GoM grew concerned, as Akashi being so absentminded was definitely out of the norm. Kuroko frowned slightly as he asked. "Akashi-kun, is everything all right?" Kuroko said to Akashi, who obtained a distant look in his eyes, before reverting back to the strong red ones.

"Nn. I'm fine Tetsuya. You are in no condition to be worried about my well-being." Akashi said as he shrugged off their concerns. Kuroko remained unconvinced as he glanced over to Aomine, who seemed to share the same thoughts as him. They stared at each other, as if sending silent messages and nodded there heads after coming to a conclusion.

_It must have to do with his loss during last game_

Although Kuroko was definitely concerned about Akashi's well-being, he decided to put it off till later, deeming the current situation to be un-befitting of the conversation. He would wait until the GoM had a time of privacy to bring up the issue.

Therefore, Kuroko decided to drop the issue and reverted his gaze back to Momoi, who was also concerned for Akashi's well-being.

"Momoi-san." Momoi's eyes snapped wide open as Kuroko's addressed her. "Can you please continue feeding me?" Kuroko continued kindly. Momoi's face grew flustered at the thought as she nodded her head fervently.

"Nn!" Momoi said as she grabbed the spoon, this time determined not to stutter.

* * *

~After Lunch~

"Oi! Kuroko, we're heading back to the gym to start practice for the Summer League." Hyuga motioned for Kuroko to follow as the teams exited the café. Kuroko turned to look at Hyuga and shook his head.

"Gomen, Hyuga-senpai….but there's something I need to take care of first…" Kuroko said as he turned his gaze over to Akashi, who began to walk down the sidewalk. Being the only one to come from Rakuzan, it seemed he would be walking along. Riko Aida, noticing his gaze, nodded to Kuroko in confirmation as she dragged the rest of the team back to the school gym.

Kuroko looked to see the rest of the GoM gathering alongside Momoi. It seemed that they all shared the same thoughts and had done the same as Kuroko, dismissing themselves from their respective teams. After joining them, Kuroko and the others began walking towards Akashi, who was a good 15 feet away from them. Being the first one to reach him, Kise ran up and threw an arm over one of Akashi's shoulder.

!

"Ryota?" Akashi said questioningly as he raised an eyebrow.

Kise merely gave one of his signature smiles as he walked alongside Akashi. "Yo, Akashicchi! You looked kinda lonely, so we wanted to walk with you!" Kise said ecstatically. Akashi merely raised an eyebrow.

"We?" Akashi said as he turned around. To his surprise, the rest of the GoM alongside Kuroko and Momoi were following up close behind him. "Minna…What are you all doing here?" Akashi called out to them.

"Aka-chin seemed lonely so we wanted to walk with you~" Murasakibara said as he opened a recently bought chocolate bar.

"It's just as the fools said, we've decided to accompany you seeing as you had no other company." Midorima followed up.

"…Such actions are unnecessary. I'm completely fine with walking home alone." Akashi said as he shook his head.

"Tch, just accept it already, we're already here. We'll walk you home before splitting way." Aomine said as he appeared on Akashi's left side, opposite to Kise who still had an arm draped over Akashi's shoulders. Kuroko walked alongside the others as he waited in anticipation for when they would confront Akashi about the issue at hand.

Had it not been for Akashi's abnormal behavior, including his absentminded behavior and lack of talking, they most likely wouldn't have assumed anything was wrong. Yes it is true that Akashi was not one to talk similarly to Kise or Aomine, but the Kuroko and the GoM were well aware that Akashi would always make a comment now and then, either about the situation at hand, or criticizing one of them.

As such, the GoM had decided they would bring up the topic the moment they reached Akashi's house, since they would have a moment of privacy to themselves. So Kuroko waited patiently, while listening to Kise's lighthearted remarks now and then and Midorima's scolding of Murasakibara, who was mindlessly munching on a bag of ketchup chips.

Eventually, they had reached Akashi's house…or more like mansion. After spending a whole year apart, Kuroko found himself at awe once again at the enormous size of Akashi's house. His parent's reputation in their respectable careers had been partially responsible for Akashi's obsession with victory, something that was to blame for the need of this certain conversation now.

"It seems we've arrived at my destination. I bid you all a goodnight and hope for the next time we may gather." And with that, Akashi waved as he began to pass the gate of entrance into their mansion.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko called out. Luckily, Akashi had been paying attention this time as he turned around expectantly.

"There is something we must confirm." Midorima said after Kuroko. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense as the members of the GoM took on a serious face, albeit Kuroko, who maintained his poker face and Momoi and Kise, who took on a face of concern and worry.

"What's wrong Akashi? We can tell there's something bothering you." Kise said afterwards. The lack of "icchi" after the name just went to prove that even Kise was well aware of how serious the situation was. While he was always the laid-back and optimistically dense one in the group, even he was expecting a reaction of Akashi's loss, similar to his, Midorima's and Aomine's reaction. So even now, they were on-guard, as if waiting for Akashi to explode or break down.

Akashi merely raised an eyebrow, as if questioning their suspicions. "Exactly what is it that you're referring to when you feel that something is bothering me?" Akashi replied back with another question.

"Akashi, we can tell something's off. You're never this quiet nor are you ever so distant or absentminded. We've known you for four years now….you can't just expect us to miss something so obvious now….It has to do with your loss don't it" Aomine said, not as a question, but as a fact.

Finally, seeing the lack of people in the area, Akashi took in a deep breath and sighed, losing his formal composure as he sat down on the stairs leading to his door. Seeing that he was prepared to speak, everyone got comfortable as they began to enter a real conversation about his feelings, with Aomine and Midorima leaning on opposite gate posts for support as Murasakibara and Momoi sat in front of him and Kuroko and Kise sat on both sides of Akashi.

After some time, Kuroko spoke up first. "In order for us to help you, you need to tell us what's wrong, Akashi-kun. Even if we're aware that it's relevant to Winter Cup Finals, we cannot comfort if we don't even know how you feel." Kuroko persuaded Akashi to speak his feelings for once.

"There is no one present besides us, Akashi. Now is the time to lose your formal composure and open up. We all understand the pain that comes with losing for once." Midorima said as they waited for Akashi's to speak.

"….It's not pain….but rather…denial? No, perhaps the correct term would be disbelief. Although it happened right before me, it seems I've yet to comprehend what it means." Akashi said as he closed his eyes and leaned on the door.

"Nothing. It means absolutely nothing."

Everyone's head snapped towards Kuroko in surprise. Yes they all came to comprehend what it meant to lose, but it seemed that Kuroko still had thoughts of his own beliefs. Akashi merely frowned, for it seemed that he had been stumped for once. Kuroko, seeing the mutual reaction amongst the group, merely sighed in disapproval and shook his head.

"You've lost the match, but that's it. You haven't lost wealth, a job, or anything of real value. You've merely lost one match of thousands to come. Some matches are meant to be lost, to remind us that we cannot rest, that there is still work to be done and progress to be made." Kuroko lectured not only Akashi, but the rest of the GoM.

"If you only win and nothing else, then the passion for the game fades away, you lose what the meaning of victory is and something to look forward to in each match. It's something that I realized as I look at you all." Kuroko paused as he scanned over the group.

"I truly believe that you've all lost the passion you've once had because you had nothing to look forward to in each match, as a victory was already decided. Knowing this, I originally thought that merely beating you would bring it back, which is why I originally joined a team for that sole purpose. Yet it was then that I realized that our ideals would remain from a simple defeat, which is why I searched for a team best fit to contradict our original ideals." Kuroko then looked to Akashi, who had his eyes on him the whole time.

"You may have lost the match. All of you have, but in return you gained something. You now have something to look forward to the next we verse." Kuroko said as he smiled to them all.

"….It's not that simple…." Kuroko's smile faded as he reverted his gaze back to Akashi. Akashi had focused his gaze on the concrete in front of him as his eyes grew distant, as if reminiscing.

"….When your reputation is built upon success and success alone, what is left of that reputation once the success is no longer there?" Akashi asks to particular in no one.

"Loss does not replace success, but merely sets us up for even greater success." Kuroko fights back by contradicting Akashi's thoughts.

"And once you lose your status?" Akashi asks. Kuroko frowns at that question, as if not understanding.

'_Exactly how does one mere loss change your position? Who would be dumb enough to underestimate you just after one loss?_' Kuroko thinks to himself. But before he can respond, Midorima speaks up.

"…Are you possible referring to Kagami's remarks earlier on today?" Midorima asks as he sighs. Kuroko's frown turns into a grim line as he tenses up.

"What did Kagami-kun say, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko asks. Yet it was Aomine who spoke up.

"Apparently, Bakagami is getting ahead of himself again. It looks like he completely forgot just who he's dealing with." Aomine says from his spot at the entrance gate. Kuroko frowns again, as if not comprehending exactly what they're referring to.

"Kaga-min was saying bad stuff about Aka-chin. He said that we weren't good at basketball" Murasakibara said as he pouted like a child. Midorima merely sighed at Aomine's and Murasakibara's failure of an explanation.

"Only a fool would fail at such a simple task like this… Kagami had gotten too laid-back and began to not only overestimate himself, but diminish our significance. It seems that he no longer looks at us of people of superior beings, just some average basketball players." Midorima thoroughly explained.

Kuroko merely sighed and shook his head inwardly. He should've expected such ignorant behavior from his impulsive companion. Sometimes, he truly felt embarrassed to call that man his 'light'. He then turned back over to Akashi. While the others had merely gone through denial, it seemed the damage was far worse for Akashi, who accepted it and merely let it destroy his self-confidence and worth.

"You no longer believe yourself to be superior to others. You feel that you are lacking and pathetic when speaking of basketball….would it be wrong to say that, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko said straight out to Akashi. Akashi gave no response as he kept his eyes on the concrete floor. Kuroko took that as a confirmation as Akashi made no effort to deny Kuroko's accusations.

After being given a lack of response, Kuroko merely stood up. Akashi looked up to Kuroko, who stared at him. "No one is useless, Akashi-kun. We, of Seirin have already proven it, haven't we? We may be weak on our own, but as a team, we are formidable."

And with that, Kuroko smiled at Akashi. "You are strong, Akashi-kun, that is without a doubt. If you won't believe it, then let us convince you. Yes, you are strong…" Kuroko trailed off as he swung a hand over the rest of the GoM, who were smiling or somewhat in their own way. "…but together, **we **are even stronger. Anyone is."

Kuroko stuck out a hand to Akashi, who hesitated, merely staring at it. "I am not telling you to get over it. I cannot expect such a change over something that's like losing, that's never been heard of. I'm merely saying for you to rely on us for when your frustrated or stressed out like this. After all, if we can't even accomplish that, then we can't ever re-establish the bond we once had."

Akashi merely stared for a second or two but smiled lightly afterwards, clearly satisfied with Kuroko's answer.

"….Arigatou, Tetsuya." Akashi said to Kuroko, who merely smiled and nodded.

"Well, goodnight Akashi-kun. Remember we're here to hear your struggles. Rely on us, because as you've seen, staying independent only gets us so far." Kuroko said to Akashi, who returned the smile and nodded. Afterwards, he waved as he entered in his hous- mansion.

The rest exited out of the entrance and continued walking in silence, satisfied with the work they've accomplished. The walked in a comfortable silence for some time before….

"Gasp!" Kise stopped momentarily. The rest of the GoM halted seconds after.

"What is it now?" Aomine complained. "Did you forget something, you idiot?" He asked. Kise merely shook his head rapidly and smiled.

"I just realized! What Kurokocchi said! That could be our motto!" And with that, Kise walked over to a bench and place his left foot on it while raising his left fist and striking a pose.

"Separate, we are strong, but together? **Even STRONGER**!" Kise said passionately, putting emphasis on the last two words.

The GoM groaned while Kuroko merely smiled at his behavior and Momoi giggled.

"Instead of going back to the way things were, can we at least change **that **idiot?" Aomine asked rhetorically as he hunched over in a tired manner. And the rest of the walk was described as a strange blonde man making ridiculous remarks to a group who practically unacknowledged his presence, from the perspective of a random stranger.


	7. Chapter 7: Momoi's Decision

**Hey everyone. Sorry if it seems like this update took so long. I just had some characterization issues to deal with. Like I've said before, still open to some new ideas to incorporate. If you feel like you have a good idea I could use, then by all means, please do message me. As long as it includes the GoM and Kuroko (Momoi is recommended but not manditory), then it's useful. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Momoi's Decision

Kuroko sighed as he sat on the bench. Currently, he was in Seirin's gym, watching as his team members practiced in the gym. He remembered Riko Aida's response when he had asked to participate in some jogging.

_~Flashback~_

"_Senpai, I would like to participate in the daily mile-jog." Kuroko said as he walked up to Riko Aida. She merely stared at him for a second before smacking his left forearm. Kuroko winced, as his arms had not fully recovered yet._

"_Senpai…Please refrain from injuring me any further. I've yet to fully recover, my arms are st-"_

"_Exactly" Riko cut him off. "You haven't fully recovered, and there is NO way in hell, I'm letting you participate in ANY training until we get the call from that doctor." Riko said in a stern face while glaring at Kuroko, as if daring him to argue back. Seeing the dangerous glare in her eyes, Kuroko succumbed in a matter of seconds. _

"_H-Hai…." Kuroko said as he backed away slightly cautiously._

_~Flashback End~_

Kuroko sighed once more after recalling said events. It had been a week since the lunch at the café, and the muscle in Kuroko's legs had fully healed, allowing him to walk properly now. Yet the bones in his forearms were still in the process of healing and the doctor had not given him the call informing that the muscles enveloping his lungs were prepared to take any stress.

As such, Kuroko had been spending the last whole week in boredom as he watched his members practice without him. Although nothing besides practice had changed for him, it still meant a lot to him; almost enough to make him regret his decision during the game with Rakuzan.

No

At that thought, Kuroko shook his head. Having to endure this annoyance was definitely worth it. He would never regret entering the Zone, as long as it brought the GoM back together. Yet still….

"Huuhhhh" Kuroko let out a huff of air as he sighed for what seemed the tenth time in the last 2 minutes. Even if it was worth it, this boredom would surely drive him insane.

Kuroko suddenly felt a rubbing sensation against his head as something round and soft pressed against the top of his head. Kuroko merely smiled and looked up to where Nigou was currently resting atop his head.

As if sensing his distraught, Nigou began his attempt at entertaining Kuroko by nuzzling his nose in Kuroko's hair. Had it not been for the casts that remained on his arms, Kuroko would have definitely begun petting the small Alaskan malamute.

"Arf!" Nigou let out his slightly high-pitched bark in between pants as he noticed Kuroko tilt his head and look up to him. Kuroko continued to smile as he stared at Nigou.

"Arigatou, Nigou. It seems I can still rely on you to keep me entertained." Kuroko said to Nigou, who leapt off of Kuroko's head and settled himself in Kuroko's lap.

Although he had his cast still on, Kuroko was still able to pet Nigou's fur with his fingers, and he watched as Nigou licked his lips and wagged his small tail rapidly in satisfaction. Kuroko switched his gaze back to the members of Seirin, who were participating in the usual Pool Training, where they would perform squats in the gym's pool.

Looking at it now, Kuroko can't help but recall his first meeting with Momoi after their separation. She had surprised him by visiting out of the blue during the day where they were doing the exact same training they are now. And it seemed her affections had not changed and her childish personality didn't either. Truth be told, although he hadn't said it, he was genuinely happy to not just see her, but to see her as she truly was, uncorrupted by their past. That light that had helped him manage throughout the struggles in Teiko was still present in her, always managing to bring a sense of optimism into any situation.

Thinking about back then now brought up a memory that will be forever ingrained into Kuroko's mind.

~_Flashback_~

"…_Hey Tetsu-kun, do you still remember what I said…back then?" Momoi asked quietly to Kuroko as they walked alongside each other on their way home._

_Kuroko paused slightly before answering. "…I'm sorry. No, I don't remember. I'm really sorry. What was it that you said back then?" Kuroko lied to Momoi._

"_Huh? Ah, it's nothing! Don't pay too much attention to that! It's nothing too important!" Momoi said as she waved her hands in front of her rapidly._

"_Well, I must keep going this way!" Momoi continued. Kuroko nodded his head in response. _

"_Ah…okay. See you…" Kuroko said quietly as he walked away. A silent Momoi watched Kuroko's back as he walked away, with memories of their group in his place forming in her head. Tears were silently falling down her face as she covered her mouth in order to prevent Kuroko from hearing. Little did she know, he was fully aware of what was happening._

~_Flashback End_~

Kuroko closed his eyes tightly and bit his lips after reminiscing about that painful moment. To this day, he was unsure of why he had lied to Momoi and walked off as she cried, rather than at least comfort her.

Thinking about these past memories, Kuroko couldn't help but think about how everyone else was. He stared up at the ceiling while deep in thought.

'….What are they all up to?'

* * *

Akashi entered his home quietly, taking off his shoes silently and prepared to tread upstairs before he was called out to.

"Akashi." Akashi's eyes widened as he swerved his head to the sitting room, where his father sat on the imported leather couch behind an intricate looking glass table.

"…Tou-san. It seems you've returned. I take it the meeting held in Okinawa was successful." Akashi replied. His father merely responded by narrowing his eyes. Akashi tensed slightly, realizing his father's dissatisfaction. Had he heard about the results of the Winter Cup Finals?

"Of course, nothing unexpected. More importantly, what is this I've heard about, you losing to some underdog team in the Winter Cup?" his father questioned him. Akashi sighed inwardly, as his fears were realized and prepared for whatever onslaught came his way.

"You are not mis-informed. We lost to Seirin in the Finals. We were caught off guard by their latent potential I was unable to establish a solution to that surprise." Akashi replied as he stood there in front of the table that was in between him and his father on the couch. For awhile, his father said nothing, his eyes closed behind his glasses and his left hand wrapped around his right fist in front of his face as he rested his elbows on the table.

"….I'm disappointed in you, Akashi." Akashi merely remained silent in response, unwilling to argue back, as this much was obvious.

"It's clear that these constant victories has made you too arrogant and carefree; and now look at you? You're slacking terribly. Disgraceful…." His father continued. Once again, he was met by a silent response from Akashi.

"…From here on out, you are to focus all of you time on studying and education. You are to be at home by 4:30 sharp and go straight to dealing with your education. We cannot allow your failures to transfer to your education, or there will be no hope to scavenge for you. Am I clear?" Akashi's father ended with that question.

"….I understand…..I will be returning to my room now." And with that, Akashi treaded up the stairs. It seems that ever since his loss, everything seemed to going downhill now. Now how would he explain this to the rest?

* * *

Momoi sat along the bench while the members of Touou held a practice scrimmage. Although a lot seemed to have happened in such a short amount of time, few words can be used to describe her overall feelings on them:

Ecstatic

Satisfied

Ecstatic that the members of the GoM were once again starting to shift closer together. And satisfied with the changes that took place in each of the members of the GoM. Even looking at Aomine, who was scrimmaging, she couldn't help but smile. Ever since he lost to Kuroko in the Winter High Playoffs, he'd actually been dedicating his time to practice.

"Oi! Sakurai, quit slacking off, you call that a pass?!" Aomine yelled at Sakurai.

"G-Gomenasai!" Sakurai wailed.

"And you! You call that sprinting?! I've walked faster than that!" Aomine yelled at some random bench player.

Momoi sweatdropped at Aomine's behavior. Although he decided to participate with team practice, it seemed more like Aomine was the coach of the team.

Even though Momoi was truly content with the results of the Winter Cup, there was still one thing that bothered her.

Seirin

She didn't know why. It's not as if she hated them or held any negative feelings for them, yet she just couldn't get them out of her mind. Continuously, she would catch herself thinking about how they behaved around each other, and what she would witness. She recalled her first meeting with them in their own gym where they were doing some form of squat drills in-water.

It seemed at the mere sight of her, they lost all focus of what they had been doing and stood in awe, flabbergasted at the figure known as Momoi (of course that was none of her concern, she was more focused on finding her blue-haired angel).

Yet although their reactions were amusing, what was more entertaining was watching their coach, Riko Aida's reaction out of jealousy.

Momoi giggled at that thought. She never assumed their coach to be the embarrassed and jealous type about her figure. Yet overall, she liked what she saw at the time. When she was there experiencing their childish actions and behavior, she felt comfortable and could not refrain from smiling.

_Warm_

That was how she described the atmosphere around Seirin, and it was one she suddenly felt a craving for once again.

"Oi! Satsuki! SATSUKI."

Momoi jumped back slightly in surprise as she was caught off guard as Aomine yelled in her ear.

"Hah? A-Ahomine!" Momoi complained as she covered her right ear, which began to experience a ringing noise after being victim to Aomine's screams.

" Hmm? Well that's what you get for zoning out! What good are you as a manager if you're zoning out during practice?" Aomine retorted at her while folding his arms in front of him.

"Mou~ Aomine-kun is so mean." Momoi pouted as she faked teary-eyes. Like a kitten drawn to a yarn, the members of Touou succumbed at that sight of Momoi's deadly puppy face.

"Haaaah…Aomine made Momoi-chan cry~" One member said.

"He's such a bully…making her cry. Has he no shame!" Another said.

Aomine, noticing the scene they were making looked back at Momoi, and eventually found himself getting lost in her puppy eyes.

'_Wow…that's…actually pretty cute…_' Aomine thought as he began sweating slightly and scratched his head uncomfortably. Eventually, he sighed in resign.

"Just….go take off for today. It's obvious somethin's on your mind, and it ain't going away. I'll meet up with you once practice is done." Aomine said to Momoi, who suddenly stopped her façade and had her face lit up.

"Nn! Arigatou, Aomine-kun. See? You can be sweet at times~" Momoi said with a smile to Aomine. Aomine merely flushed slightly, unbeknownst to Momoi, and looked away.

"J-Just get out already! You're wasting my time!" Aomine retorted as he held his head up high while looking away, even with the slight blush still slightly evident on his face.

(Tsundere Aomine XD )

Momoi nodded her head fervently and exited the gym. She entered the girls' locker room, and chose to hit the showers before packing up, in order to waste time before practice is over. As she undressed, she found herself thinking about Seirin again.

'_I wonder what they're doing right now. Maybe practicing?_' Yet while she thought that, all she could imagine was them practically playing around on-court. After Touou had lost to Seirin in the Winter Cup, Momoi had spent some of her time assisting Seirin in practice (although some would say it was to get close to Kuroko).

Yet although she witnessed the passion they put into their drills, she also took note of light atmosphere in the room. Almost as if they were practically playing around. They made entertainment out of the practices they held, as if they were fooling around in an arcade.

Compared to Touou, who took their training seriously, Seirin's practice seemed less intense. Though Momoi, did not doubt for a second, the devotion and conviction Seirin had.

'_I guess it's just an effect from the friendly atmosphere….I like it…I want it_'

Momoi spent all of her time in the shower thinking about Seirin, and had come to a decision once she exited. She packed her supplies and books, and exited the locker room, with her destination being Touou's gym.

Momoi entered the gym to see all the members sprawled in different locations. It seemed that they had yet to get comfortable with Aomine on-court during practice. This was probably the only time where they had to focus on **stopping **Aomine rather than letting him run wild.

Momoi looked around and frowned as she failed to find her target. She then spotted Imayoshi (I know he retired, but I'm ignoring that and keeping him) on the bench wiping his face with a white towel. She walked up to him slowly and halted in front of him.

"Imayoshi-kun? Where did Aomine-kun go?" Momoi frowned slightly as a thought just came to her head. "Did he leave in the middle of practice?" Momoi thought out loud.

Imayoshi's eyes widened as he realized what Momoi was concerned about.

"N-No, of course not! Practice had already ended, so Aomine chose to leave right away and went for the boy's locker room. I'm positive he'll be out once he finishes showering." Imayoshi reassured her. Momoi smiled at Imayoshi's concern and nodded her head. "But…may I ask why?" Imayoshi pried.

"O-Oh, I needed to talk to him on a matter…..Actually, I need to talk to all of you about it too…" Momoi said quietly as she looked down at the ground. Although she was determined to see this through, she didn't exactly know how to go about it.

Imayoshi raised an eyebrow inquiringly, before responding. "Everyone!" Everyone, including Momoi snapped their heads to look at Imayoshi. Imayoshi continued once he realized he had their attention.

"Momoi-san has something of great importance to tell us, so pay attention!" Imayoshi yelled in a strong voice. Momoi's eyes widened as she froze up.

"R-Right now?..." Momoi said to herself. All of a sudden, she froze up once everyone turned their gaze to her. Imayoshi merely tilted his concern after seeing her reaction.

"…Is everything all right, Momoi-san? Didn't you say you had something you wanted to tell us?" Imayoshi asked her while waving a hand in front of her face. Momoi merely shook her head and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves.

'_One sentence, that's all it'll take. I can do this, I can do this_'

Momoi looked up to face all of the members before uttering her words.

"…I'm transferring Seirin during the start of the Second Semester."

….

….

….

….

"HAAAAAAAH?!" Was the general reaction amongst the members of Touou.

A ruckus arose faster than Momoi could respond, and she was forced to stand there uncomfortably while listening to the varying and multiple voices throughout the gym.

"Shut uppppp!" Wakamatsu's voice roared throughout the gymnasium. Silence fell after his outburst for several second before Imayoshi spoke up.

"….Are you sure about, Momoi-san?" Imayoshi asked her. Momoi nodded her head determinedly.

"I-I've thought about it for awhile now, and now I'm sure of it." Momoi replied.

Wakamatsu responded by giving her a half-smile. "Well, if that's your decision, then who are we to stop you? Progression is all about finding the place where you belong. If you don't feel that the place you're looking for is here, then by all means, do whatever you need to. I'm grateful for what you've done this past year and I'll be supporting you on from here."

He then turned to face the members of Touou. "I'm sure we're ALL grateful for what she's done, right?"

"Mhm!"

"Yeah, good luck in Seirin, Momoi-san!"

"We won't forget how nice you've been."

While these were the mutual thoughts that ran throughout the members of Touou, deep down, a majority of them were crying at the loss of their idol.

Momoi smiled at the enthusiasm and how accepting her members were. Without a doubt, she would miss them, but she had already made up her mind. She then spotted Sakurai sporting tears in his eyes.

"S-Sakurai-kun! Please don't cry! I promise to visit!" Momoi tried to reassure the freshman.

"G-Gomenasai!" Sakurai cried.

"Oi, what the hell are you apologizing for?" Wakamatsu yelled at Sakurai, who now began cowering while crying.

"I-I'm sorry for apologizing!" Sakurai responded. Imayoshi merely sighed while watching it all go down. Just then, a thought reached him.

"Oh, is this why you wanted to speak to Aomine, Momoi-san?" Imayoshi inquired at Momoi.

"Nn. I figured that I need to tell Aomine-kun before I leave. I'm going to transfer as soon as possible, so I can get comfortable with Seirin before the Second half of the year starts." Momoi replied as she nodded her head.

While the rest of the members of Touou had gotten over their original distress and began packing up, Momoi joined Imayoshi on the bench.

Imayoshi stared at Momoi, who began averted her gaze to the floor as she began to wonder about something unknown to Imayoshi.

"You seemed distress, Momoi-san." Imayoshi said as he encouraged Momoi to speak her feelings.

"….Do you think Aomine-kun will be mad at me for leaving? Will he….hate me?" Momoi asked worryingly as she kept her eyes on the ground. Imayoshi merely smiled at Momoi's innocence.

"Even if he did get mad, we all know that he would never do something intentionally to make you cry and he would **never **hate you. Sure he may take it hard at first, but he'll definitely come around to understand your reasons for doing so, just like when you encouraged his suspension from basketball due to his injuries." Imayoshi reassured Momoi, who looked up hopefully and smiled.

After that, silence fell between the two uncomfortably.

"….So this is your final decision?" Imayoshi asked to Momoi.

Momoi nodded her head in response without saying a word.

"Why do I feel like this had something to do with wanting to see Kuroko as well?" Imayoshi asked while smirking. Momoi instinctively blushed at the thought of seeing Kuroko on a daily basis.

"O-Of course not! Seeing Tetsu-kun is just a bonus of joining Seirin. Nothing more!" Momoi denied passionately yet the blush betrayed her words as she thought of the bonding time they could have, from practicing together, to walking home every day after practice. Imayoshi smiled at Momoi's embarrassing reaction and outburst, and remained silent, as if hesitating to say the next few words.

"…..Would it be too late to confess now?" Imayoshi asked as he avoided her gaze and looked at the gym floor. Momoi froze up at Imayoshi's indirect love confession, before smiling.

"It's never too late…but I can't promise that it'll go the way you'd expect it to." Momoi said softly as she placed a hand on Imayoshi's shoulder comfortingly as she sat beside him.

Imayoshi merely chuckled at her response.

"I figured as much. Even if it did go as I wanted, I doubt it wouldn't be too late to start a relationship." Imayoshi said as he looked to Momoi.

"…But…I had to try. Without a doubt, you're like candy to a child. You're something people adore and obsess over, and are a must-have." Imayoshi said to her as he smiled.

Momoi merely blushed in embarrassment after understanding what Imayoshi implied. '_Gomen, Imayoshi-kun….But it can't be too late if it was never possible_' Momoi thought to herself.

"You'd best get going, Momoi-san. Aomine must be done by now and is most likely waiting for you to walk home." Imayoshi said to Momoi, who just took notice of the time.

"Nn. Arigatou, Imayoshi-kun. Goodbye." Momoi said as she left Imayoshi on the bench. Imayoshi watched her go yearningly, as if willing her to come back, yet keeping silent about his emotions. Imayoshi looked away as he said to himself:

"Now just how are you going to take this, not that you've just realized your feelings for her, Aomine?"

* * *

"Dai-chan!" Momoi yelled out as she waved to Aomine, who was already dressed up in his jacket with his bag slung over his shoulder as he for her outside of the school.

"Hm?" Aomine responded to the call as he turned around and saw that it came from Momoi. "Oi, Satsuki! What took you so long? You left early and yet why am I still waiting for you?!" Aomine complained, clearly irritated with having to wait for Momoi.

"Gomen, I had something I needed to take care of before leaving." Momoi explained as she walked up to Aomine. "But I'm ready now so let's go!"

As they began to walk, Momoi began to feel nervous, unable to mention her transfer. '_How do I bring it up? Can I just randomly say I'm transferring?_'

"Oh yea by the way, I heard from Imayoshi that you had something to tell me?" Aomine asked Momoi, whose eyes widened in surprise as she was caught off guard. She bit down on her lip as she prepared to tell Aomine the news and readied herself for his reaction.

"I'm transferring to Seirin."

….

….

"….When."

"H-hah?" Momoi said as she was once again caught off guard by Aomine's lack of response.

"I said, when are you transferring to Seirin?" Aomine repeated. Momoi frowned at Aomine, as she assumed he would have yelled at her for leaving, or even go as far as to call her a traitor of some sort.

"I'm going to transfer for the Second Semester of the school year…..but….are you're not surprised with that?" Momoi asked to Aomine, who remained silent for sometime as they continued to walk home, before taking in a deep breath.

"…I kinda got the feeling this was gonna happen. I've noticed how you started to zone out a lot, especially after watching Seirin's match in the Winter Cup, and I figured as much…" Aomine said quietly.

"….And…..you're okay with that? You're not mad at me or anything?" Momoi asked slowly. Aomine merely shrugged before responding.

"….Of course I'd rather you stay, but….it's not like I can force you to stay here. And hating you just for leaving would be messed up, considering I've known you since we were kids." Aomine answered half-heartedly while looking away.

"A-Arigatou, Dai-chan!" Momoi said with a bright smile on her face. For once, Aomine did not blush, as his focus was on something else.

"….just wondering…..but why are you transferring in the first place?" Aomine asked. He then frowned, as if realizing something. "Is it….because of Tetsu? Because I don't see why that would call for a transfer. You were fine for the first half of the year like this." Aomine continued.

Momoi looked forward as they resumed walking. "Well that's true but….ever since meeting up with him again, I've wanted to spend more and more time with not just him, but Seirin as a whole."

Aomine frowned at her answer. "…Why though? What do you see in them that you can't find here?" Aomine pried further into the topic, trying to understand Momoi's reason for leaving.

Momoi hesitated as she tried to put her feelings into words. "…I don't know how to explain it, but…when I was there helping them with their practice after our loss in the Winter Cup, I was happy. More than I ever was here in Touou." With that statement, Momoi looked up to the dark sky and closed her eyes as they walked down the sidewalk.

"I would watch as they joked around and teased each other. They would laugh at each other's simple mistakes and to their embarrassment, and it felt contagious…it made me want to laugh as well." Momoi paused for a second in the middle of her explanation before continuing.

"I guess…the best way to put it is that I like what I see there, more than I do in any other team." Momoi ended with a smile as she looked over to Aomine, whose eyes were on the ground as his face showed no emotions. An eerie silence fell after, as Momoi waited, expecting a response from Aomine.

For the rest of the walk home, neither said a word. Normally, Momoi would be the one to spark up a random conversation, with Aomine usually adding his fair share of retorts and comments. Yet after the whole discussion about Momoi's transfer followed by Aomine's peculiar quiet behavior, Momoi felt awkward about speaking up at all.

"Ehhh? Momocchi, Aominecchi? What are you guys doing here?" A random voice called out. Aomine and Momoi turned their heads towards the voice, to find Kise in front of supermarket with a bag of groceries and a Popsicle in his mouth.

"Ki-chan! What are you doing here?" Momoi called out ecstatically. The random silence between her and Aomine had been eating at her, and now hopefully, they could start up a discussion with the help of Kise.

"I was buying some groceries for the family and just finished." Kise said. He took notice of their school bags and mentioned them. "Eh? Did you just get out of school? It's already 6:30!" Kise exclaimed. He knew of Momoi's academic excellence, but he was shocked to see Aomine so dedicated to his education.

"No, we just came back from practice! Even though the Spring Season won't start yet, we still have to get practice in!" Momoi replied as she shook her head in denial to Kise's assumption.

"Sugoi, Momocchi! You guys sure are determined. Looks like you're not giving any of us a chance to breathe." Kise said as he walked over to them. At this point, they had unconsciously begun walking together on their way home, just like in the past. While it is true that none of them had done such a thing in over a year, it seemed that old habits had begun to re-emerge.

"Nn! Just because the Winter Season is over, doesn't mean we have any time to slack off. Last time we lost in the playoffs. This time, Touou is gonna make it to the finals!" Momoi said with conviction as she raised a fist in determination. Kise flashed a genuine smile at Momoi's optimistic personality. The two of them were so alike when it came to their bubbly personality.

Just then, Kise looked over to Aomine, who had remained quiet for the whole duration that Kise had been with them. Fully aware of Aomine actual personality, the sudden silence from Teiko's ace unnerved Kise. "…Is everything ok, Aominecchi?" Kise asked to Aomine. Aomine flinched in surprise, as he regained awareness of his surroundings.

"Huh? Nah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something." Aomine responded. Kise merely raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He smiled once more as he faced Momoi again to resume their conversation.

"Anyways, I'm sure you guys will do great, especially with Aominecchi and Momocchi on Touou!" Kise encouraged Momoi. Momoi's eyes widened as she just realized that she had yet to tell anyone beside Touou of her transfer, even the members of Seirin, the school she was transferring to.

"Actually….I'm transferring from Touou to Seirin for the Second Semester." Momoi said slowly as she looked at Kise for his reaction. He raised both his eyebrows in surprise at this news.

"Eh? How come, you don't like Touou?" Kise said. He then frowned as realization dawned on him. "Are you transferring there because they won the Winter Cup?" Kise asked in surprise. From Kise's perspective, Momoi was never the kind of person who was obsessed with winning. Momoi began waving her hands frantically in denial at Kise's misunderstanding.

"N-N-No, not at all! I just wanted to transfer because I liked what I saw there. I was thinking about it ever since I've been helping them during the Winter Cup!" Momoi yelled out frantically. Kise smiled at Momoi's energetic denial and decided to tease her.

"Oh~! And this has nothing to do with wanting to get closer with Kurokocchi?" Kise teased Momoi, who blushed.

"W-What? Of course not! I mean, yes! I mean- I want to see him, but that's not why I'm transferring to Seirin. It's not like I'm obsessed with him or anything~" Momoi said as she held her cheeks and closed her eyes while shaking her beet-red face with a smile.

Kise laughed at Momoi's embarrassed reaction. As if taking notice of the other person along with them, Kise turned to Aomine. Aomine stared back at him, while seeming to feel that Kise was expecting him to speak of how he felt about Momoi's sudden transfer.

Aomine merely looked away from Kise's gaze and looked forward as they walked. Eventually, they reached Momoi's street and prepared to say their departing greets on the corner of the intersection.

"Goodnight, Momocchi! And I'll be looking forward to seeing you in Seirin!" Kise said with a wave. Momoi responded with a wave of her own as she began walking down the street to her house. Once she was out of view, Kise's smile was replaced with a stern look as he faced Aomine.

"…Are you really okay with Momocchi transferring?" Kise asked Aomine. Instead of retorting or responding with a crude remark, Aomine remained quiet.

"…You still like her, don't you? And you never told her?" Kise pried.

….

"If you like her so much, you should've asked Momocchi to stay. If it's you, she would've stayed in Touou."

"….She like Tetsu."

"And it's gonna stay like that if she transfers. If you can get her to stay, you'll still have a chance of getting your feelings through." Kise encouraged Aomine.

"Baka, haven't you noticed. She isn't just infatuated with him anymore. She straight up has feelings for him. And we all know how Tetsu always stares at her behind her back. Besides, if simply keeping her on Touou could change that, she wouldn't be holding feelings for him anymore after this half year past." Aomine responded.

"….So what're you gonna do now, Aominecchi?" Kise asked. Although they may not have been on outstanding terms yet, Kise was still concerned for his former teammate. Aomine remained silent, deep in thought as to how to respond to Kise's question.

"I'm just gonna have to learn to move on now." Aomine said as he resumed walking towards his house. Kise watched for several seconds as Aomine walked away from him, before smiling and going towards his own house.

"….You really are maturing, Aominecchi…"


	8. Chapter 8: Day 1 of Transfer

**Hello everyone! Sorry that it took so long to update but between SAT classes, regents review and AP review, I haven't been dedicating much time to working on the story, and I'm truly sorry about that. Also, I was finding it a bit difficult as to how to approach writing this chapter, so this one may not be good although it definitely is my longest one yet. So enjoy!**

Chapter 8: Day 1 of Transfer

Kuroko watched as Kagami stuffed his face with what seemed as an endless mountain of onigiri in his arms. The two were on their way to school and were currently on the same street that is was located. Kuroko had stopped by Kagami's apartment on the way to school to walk with him and had been watching as Kagami ate during the whole trip. How he managed to find space for all the food, Kuroko would never be able to understand.

Now that the Winter Cup was over, basketball season would be postponed until the start of spring. Although the winter season was over, it was only January 3rd, the start of the Second Semester. Since basketball had started in September of fall, the school decided to halt the season until spring, so that students could participate in other winter clubs.

"Mm mm, by the way Kuroko, coach said we still got practice today after school till 6:30 with the others." Kagami said as he munched on his onigiri rolls. That's right. Even though the season was over, they still had practice to make sure they were in shape by the time the spring season began. Not to mention that the other schools were doing the exact same thing.

"You will be able to practice today right?" Kagami followed up with a question as he looked over at Kuroko expectantly.

Kuroko looked down at his now-visible arms. Coincidentally, he had his casts taken off the day before and received permission from the doctor to participate in practice again. "Nn, the doctor informed me last night that I was allowed to join in on practice again." Kuroko confirmed as he moved his gaze back from his arms to Kagami.

Kagami did not respond as he returned to eating his onigiri and looked forward. Although he hadn't mentioned it, playing without Kuroko truly felt uncomfortable for him. The whole year, they spent playing together as the dynamic duo of Seirin; Kuroko being the phantom that could get the ball moving to any spot on-court, and Kagami who was always receiving those spontaneous passes and slamming it in.

Having to play without Kuroko for the last two weeks was definitely an unknown experience for not just Kagami, but the whole team. For once, they had to rely on themselves to get open for a pass, rather than Kuroko cutting through the defense to get a pass in. Needless to say, this whole commotion had truly shown the members of Seirin how much of an impact Kuroko had on the team, even without being a constant scorer.

"Kagami-kun…we've arrived." Kuroko's voice snapped Kagami out of his daze as he began reminiscing about practice without Kuroko for the past two weeks. Kagami turned around to see Kuroko waiting in front of the school gates. It seemed that in his daze, Kagami had mindlessly walked past the school gates without even noticing.

Kagami walked back to the school gates and entered alongside Kuroko.

"Oooh, its Kagami!"

"Kagami, congratulations!"

"Wow, he looks totally badass right now!"

In less than a second, Kagami and Kuroko (who was still unnoticed) were surrounded by freshmen and several sophomores. It seemed that news of the Winter Cup results had reached the students before it reached the school announcements on the first day after break.

"Uh….th-thanks…" Kagami said nervously. He was not yet used to all of this spontaneous popularity that spiked ever since he was declared the ace of Seirin and made his debut during the finals of the Winter Cup.

"Kagami! Where did you learn to jump like that?"

"I swear he looks like he's flying! You think he could jump over us?"

"Idiot! Of course he can! Did you see him dunk on that Murasakibara guy? The guy was gigantic and Kagami slammed it right over him!"

"Hey hey, could you teach us how to play? Please please please?"

"Hey we should start a cheerleading club for our sports!"

In less than minute after the first few boys surrounded them, a mob of girls and boys followed as well, seeing the commotion. Kagami could do nothing but watch as he was assaulted by a mountain of questions bigger than the size of his onigiri rolls originally. He could only wonder if the other members were going through the same thing as he was.

Just then, he felt a tug on his left sleeve and turned to see Kuroko pulling.

"Kagami-kun…We're going to be late for first period at this rate." Kuroko warned him. Just then, Kagami realized that Kuroko had yet to receive any praise. Even though they were completely surrounded, did they really not notice him yet?

He made a split decision in order to save him a burden of questions and put an arm around Kuroko's shoulders.

"H-Hey hey, you know? Kuroko here helped out a lot too. I doubt we could've gotten so far without him." Kagami brought Kuroko to notice in order to give him some of the attention currently on Kagami.

….

….

….

"_KYAAA!"_

"Kuroko! The rumors are true! We didn't even notice him!"

"He's so much cuter in person!"

"You were SO cool during the final match against Rakuzan!"

"How do you pass like that? Can you teach us?"

"Idiot, you can't just pass like him. You gotta be invisible, or else it doesn't work as well!"

In the span of 30 seconds, about 55% of the mob transferred over to Kuroko, namely the girls as they mobbed him with comments. To be honest, Kagami was slightly surprised that Kuroko had gotten so much popularity, especially with the girls. It seemed that he had a thing for getting girls' affection.

If Kagami had felt uncomfortable from all the attention, then Kuroko was being tortured. After being the shadows for so long, the poor boy was suffocating from all the attention he was receiving. Kuroko began sweating bullets as he was tackled by energetic fan boys and infatuated females.

Kagami couldn't help but chuckle at Kuroko's reaction. His good will was telling him to help Kuroko, but his conscience wanted to enjoy the moment, seeing as how Kuroko's presence wouldn't be noticed about 85% of the day unless he makes himself known.

But, much to Kuroko's fortune and to the chagrin of the ecstatic students, the first bell rang, warning the students that there were 5 minutes until the start of first period. As the mob in front of the school gate dispersed, Kuroko let out a sigh of relief as he was finally able to breathe again without suffocating from all the attention. He frowned as he looked at Kagami, who was struggling not to smile at Kuroko's misfortune.

"….Kagami-kun. That was not very bright of you. You know how I am around crowds." Kuroko scolded Kagami with a tone that held no anger. Kagami let slip a small smile.

"I thought you needed the experience, seeing as how you're going to be getting it for awhile now." Kagami responded as he let out a small chuckle of mirth.

Kuroko paled as if realizing the consequences of winning the Winter Cup as he began imagining the next several days being just like this. Perhaps it would be better if he walked by himself or just didn't go to school at all until the excitement died down.

No. Not going to school would just cause even more of a commotion, seeing as how everyone would be aware of Kuroko's collapse at the end of the game against Rakuzan.

"Oi! Snap out of it! Don't go off daydreaming when you're the one telling **me **to hurry to class!" Kagami complained as he tapped on Kuroko's head.

Kuroko blinked his eyes in response before nodding slowly. "Nn, I'll see you after class, Kagami-kun." For the second semester Kuroko and Kagami did not have the fortune of being in the same class first period, although they did share 3 other periods later on in the day. But luckily for Kuroko, he was able to spend his lunch period with Kiyoshi and Hyuga as well, so he wasn't entirely lonely throughout the day.

As Kagami stuffed down the rest of his onigiri, Kuroko walked towards the math hallway, where he had class with some weird-named teacher called "Tsururu Rurarukun". Imagine saying _that_ five times fast.

"Rurarukun senpai, Rurarukun senpai" As Kuroko walked down the hallway, he began chanting the teacher's name to himself, fearing that he may mispronounce on the first day and make a fool of himself. His eyes widened at the revelation and he slouched over in annoyance. It seemed he would be assaulted by a mob again during roll call in class.

Due to his drowning in sorrow, he took no notice of Kiyoshi, who was across the hall being assaulted by a crowd of his own fans. It seemed that all of Seirin were in the same situation with Kuroko and Kagami. Although he wasn't suffering as bad as Kuroko, Kiyoshi was still uncomfortable with the situation at hand as he scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously while giving a wry smile to all the ecstatic fans.

Kiyoshi took notice of Kuroko before him, who was still mumbling his teacher's name to himself as he walked to class. Before Kuroko could pass him, Kiyoshi began speaking to the crowd in front of him.

Kuroko looked up. At this point, he was aware of Kiyoshi's presence, as he heard his voice over the whole group. Although Kuroko could not make out what Kiyoshi was saying, it seemed to have to do with being left alone, as the group in front of him suddenly dispersed. After the group disappeared, Kiyoshi began his path towards Kuroko, who was still walking in the same direction; towards math class.

"Yo, Kuroko! This sudden popularity has gotten the crowds chasing after us huh?" Kiyoshi said as he patted Kuroko on the back.

Kuroko merely shook his head in denial as Kiyoshi followed him to his class.

"No. I've yet to be assaulted by any students, disregarding the scene before school began with Kagami-kun." Kuroko responded. Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows in surprise at this revelation.

"Eh? Really? Hehehe, that's quite surprising. Even with your lack of presence, it still surprises me that you can walk to school so unnoticed. For once, I'm rather envious of your abilities!" Kiyoshi said energetically as he laughed. Eventually the two reached Kuroko's classroom.

"Well, I better leave you alone then. Knowing you, having me with you with just attract another crowd. Well see you at practice, Kuroko!" Kiyoshi said as he waved and walked passed Kuroko's classroom.

* * *

Kuroko slid the door open to take in the current view. Only one word could describe the scene that he experienced at the moment.

Pandemonium.

It was complete chaos in the room. Excluding all the noise from the students talking at once, there was paper airplanes flying around and boys jumping up and down, as if re-enacting basketball plays and shots. Of course, this was to be expected, seeing as how the whole school had gotten into watching the Winter High after hearing of their club's success.

"Hey, did you hear about the transfer student from Touou?"

Kuroko froze as that one question caught his attention. It couldn't be…

"Yeah, I heard she was pretty hot and had all the assets. The _good _assets."

"I heard her hair was all natural too. That's crazy! Who has hair like that?"

"She makes it work though. I heard two or three guys already asked her out. And she straight out rejected all of 'em!"

Kuroko was sweating bullets at this point. The students in the room had yet to take notice of Kuroko's presence and thus, took no notice of his predicament. Kuroko merely shook his head in denial.

There were plenty of beautiful girls out there right?

And it's completely normal to transfer halfway into the year for no reason of course.

And just because her hair was unique _doesn't_ mean its pink right?

Kuroko disregarded the chaos and the thoughts in his head as he walked into the room and merely sat in his seat in the usual back corner by the window. As he set his bag on the floor and set up for class, he saw his homeroom teacher walk in with a book that without a doubt, held all their names in it.

Mr. Tsururu Rurarukun.

Although his name was slightly weird, he did not seem eccentric in the slightest. A regular crew-cut hairstyle, followed by a simple dress shirt tucked in tan khakis; he looked an average educated man from appearance.

_TAP TAP TAP_

As he walked into the classroom, he took the yard long ruler and smacked it across the chalkboard in order to get everyone's attention.

"Ahem ahem. Settle down now everyone, the bell has already rung." The teacher called out.

'_Average personality as well. Quite contrasting to his name_' Kuroko thought as he heard the teacher speak. Miraculously, the teacher's voice was heard over everyone else's, and the students moved to their respective seats.

Once the students settled down in their seats, the teacher took his position in front of the class and straightened up his posture.

"Cough, cough" Mr. Rurarukun cleared his throat before speaking.

"As some of you may be aware of by now, I am your new homeroom teacher for this semester. My name is Mr. Rurarukun." His left eyebrow twitched at the sound of snickering roaming throughout the class once he mentioned his name.

"It's quite evident that my name may seem a bit…..unique and difficult to pronounce. Thus I encourage you all to please call me by Rura-senpai or so. Please treat me well for this semester." Rura-senpai ended as he took a bow of greeting.

Once returning to his original position of standing, he took a look across the room, scanning for any empty seats. According to the school record book he was given, he should have a full classroom. Yet as his eyes dragged over to the second row, he noticed that the 3rd seat from the left was left vacant. Noticing that, he took a look at the record book to see who was missing.

"Hmmm, it seems that the new transfer student I was told of is absent." Rura-senpai said aloud to the class.

"Ehhh, the pretty transfer student is in our class?"

"Sweet, this'll give us the chance to acquaint and get close with her. I heard she was a total knockout!"

"You think she's really absent on the first day of school"

"Nah, she's probably just lost or at the main office. I heard her transfer was really sudden."

At Rura-senpai's remark, murmurs swept across the room as students began speaking of the new transfer student that was missing. From the corner, Kuroko made no attempt to spark up a conversation with his fellow classmates. Although he showed none of it, Kuroko was also slightly anticipating the arrival of the new transfer student, to confirm if his thoughts on whom it was, was correct.

Slowly but gradually, the murmurs transformed from small conversations, to an all-out debate about the transfer student that rivaled that of the roars on a Japanese lunch time rush hour.

"Now now, let's settle down now everyone…." Rura-senpai said as he held up his hands. Although he would normally have no problem controlling his students, he was a new teacher and by no means wanted to give off a strict and bad impression.

Kuroko, realizing that it would take some time before Rura-senpai would get the class under control, chose to take out the latest volume Shonen _Jump_ and began reading.

Just then, the sound of a sliding door reached the ears of everyone in the classroom as a woman stepped into the room. Kuroko's eyes dragged from his book to the door, where they widened in shock at the sight of the transfer student. It seemed his thoughts were spot-on, on who the transfer student was.

The boys', and even the girls' jaw dropped at the stunning beauty that had entered their class as they took in the heavenly view before them, in contrast to Kuroko, whose reaction was limited to the mere widening of his eyes (albeit for different reasons other than basking in her glory).

Even Rura-senpai was at a loss for words as he silently moped about not being able to score such a fine woman due to the age difference. While he was only in his early thirties, there was no way he would be able to spark a relationship with a 16 year-old female.

The woman, noticing everyone's reaction, giggled, stimulating a flow of flustering and blushing amongst the boys, and even the girls. She walked into the class, her soft hair flowing left and right as she walked with a bounce in every step and hummed to herself.

She walked to the middle of the room and stood before the students.

"Hello everyone! Please excuse my tardiness; I had difficulty finding my way to my first-period class! Please take care of me!" She said as she took a bow. The students failed to even respond as they still sat in awe of her presence. Much to Kuroko's chagrin, the mutual reaction got even worse as Momoi stood back up, and their attention was diverted to a….._certain_ asset.

As she stood back up, her chest bounced slightly, along with her shirt that tightened around her chest as her breast stuck out. Due to the tightness, the shirt emphasized her chest size and her curves, wrapping themselves around her tightly.

The boys began blushing immediately, much to Kuroko's dismay, who began frowning.

'_T-There huge!_' Was the mutual thought among the girls and boys. While the boys began to fantasize about her assets and how they would love to rest their faces on them (quite the perverted class), the girls looked down at their own chest enviously and glared at them for being so inferior to the transfer student.

"Ahem" Rura-senpai coughed into his fist in order to get her attention. The girl's eyes widened as she turned around and bowed once again. At the sight of the several boys bending to trying and get a view in vain, Kuroko sent a glare to the back of their heads as he imagined various forms of torture for their perverted actions that were directed at his _dear_ friend.

"Oh, please forgive my tardiness, Ru-senpai! It won't happen again, promise!" The woman said as she got back up from her bow. Rura-senpai blushed slightly at the sight of her chest right in front of him. Although he by no means meant to stare at them, it was difficult to not catch the sight of them. They literally stuck out in emphasis and were impossible to miss in someone's peripheral vision.

'_I feel like a teenager all over again. This is gonna be a rough year…_' Rura-senpai sighed inwardly. "Of course you're forgiven. It's understandable, being lost on the first day of school. Also, you can refer to me by Rura-senpai, seeing as it is easier than saying my whole name." Rura-senpai said as he forced down the blush on his face in order to maintain his professional composure.

The woman put a finger to her chin as she thought to herself.

"Hmmmm, Ru-senpai sounds a lot better! Is that ok with you?" She said as she smiled and stared directly at him.

Rura-senpai looked away to hide the blush. '_Nope, fighting it is pointless_' He thought to himself. "S-sure, that's fine. Anyway…now that you're here, why don't you introduce yourself? You've yet to give your name." Rura-senpai reminded her.

"Oh, that's right!" The woman said as she placed her hand over her mouth. She then turned around to the class and smiled while tilting her head adorably.

"My name is Satsuki M-"

"Momoi-san." Satsuki Momoi was cut off by a voice that was heard throughout the room.

"Yes, that's right. My name is Satsuki Momoi, but how did you….know…." Momoi's voice trailed off as she dragged her eyes around to search where the voice came from and landed on Kuroko, who was in the corner with his Shonen _Jump_ left forgotten in his hand.

….

….

"Tetsu-kun!" In less than a second, Momoi had sprinted from the front of the class and tackled Kuroko with a hug, much to the chagrin of all the boys in the classroom.

"Tetsu-kun, I transferred here to see you, aren't you happy? We have first period together, that's wonderful!" Momoi said energetically as she rubbed her cheeks against his and involuntarily pressed her breasts against his chests.

"Gahhhh, curse you Kuroko!"

"Go die in a ditch!"

"Why are all the beautiful woman taken!" One boy said in sorrow and cowered under the various glares he received from the single women in class. It seems that all thoughts about Kuroko winning the Winter Cup were forgotten at the sight of Momoi smothering him.

"…Momoi-san, I can't breathe. Plus….showing such affection is proper in this situation and…may give everyone the wrong idea." Kuroko choked out as her breasts began suffocating him.

Momoi pulled away and tilted her head in response as she stared at Kuroko in response. "Hm? What's wrong with showering you with love?" She asked as she began to rub her cheek against his again. "It's natural for a girlfriend to show their boyfriend affections like this!" Momoi continued.

The jaws of nearly everybody in the class nearly dropped at Momoi's remark.

"Girlfriend? Are they serious?"

"Is this a perk to joining a club? We gotta try this!"

The class began speaking amongst themselves once again.

"Please don't spread rumors like that, Momoi-san." Kuroko said as he was continuously smothered by Momoi.

Rura-senpai frowned after hearing Kuroko's comment. What he said COMPLETELY contradicted Momoi's previous statement. So were they going out or what?

"I don't understand. So, you're NOT his girlfriend Momoi-san?" Rura-senpai said as he decided to speak his thoughts.

Momoi froze from her position on top of Kuroko, who was still in his chair, with her cheek still planted on his.

"Ehh….well…not. YET. " Momoi said as she pointed a finger up and put emphasis on 'yet'.

"BUT." Momoi continued before anyone could say another word. "I will one day!" Momoi said energetically as she hugged Kuroko again. "And one day, we're going to get married and have lots and lots of kids!" She continued.

A portion of the students dropped at Momoi's childish behavior while the others….

"Dammit, Kuroko…"

"As if winning the Winter Cup wasn't enough…"

"God hates us all…"

"No man, he just loves Kuroko…"

The boys of the class began drowning in their own sorrow at their misfortune as the newest idol of the school was apparently taken before she even transferred.

"Ahem, Momoi-san. If you could please take your seat, class is about to begin." Rura-senpai reminded Momoi. Momoi got up from her position on top of Kuroko's lap and looked around. After looking for some time, she stared at the teacher.

"Ano, Ru-senpai. I don't see any seats here." Momoi said as she frowned in disappointment. Rura-senpai merely sweatdropped as he pointed to the vacant seat in the front row.

"Your seat is right here, Momoi-san." Momoi looked over to where he pointed and just stared. All of a sudden, she looked back at Rura-senpai with watery eyes as she prepared to cry and pouted slightly.

Rura-senpai, seeing Momoi's eyes threaten to drop tears, began feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"B-But I need to sit next to Tetsu-kun. Pleaseeee Ru-senpai." Momoi pleaded with watery eyes as she put her hands together and pleaded.

Before he could even respond, the three students around Kuroko immediately raised their hands and volunteered to give up their seats.

Rura-senpai sweatdropped again at their reactions. "W-Well, Momoi-san. Pick whatever seat you like." Like a switch, Momoi's eyes flipped from eyes that were about to drop tears, to bright eyes that were full of life.

"Thank you!" She said happily as she hugged the student to the right of Kuroko who offered his seat. The boy's eyes were replaced with beating hearts as he fainted on the spot.

"Dammit…so close…"

"Why…why not me?!"

The other two boys sulked as they failed to receive the 'golden' hug.

"Neh, Tetsu-kun! We're going go to be spending the rest of the year together! Isn't that wonderful?" Momoi said as she finally let go of Kuroko and sat in her seat. Kuroko's face paled as he imagined having to walk around school with Momoi smothering him, and receiving deadly glares and death threats in the process. If the glares now were bad, how bad would it be once Momoi's affection for him was publicly known across the whole school?

"N-Nn." Kuroko confirmed as he nodded his head and smiled slightly, regardless of the fact that it completely contradicted what emotions was actually being portrayed by his face.

Momoi took no notice of Kuroko pale face however and merely giggled at Kuroko's response.

Rura-senpai sighed inwardly at the events that just took place. So far, it seemed that he had yet to assert his superiority over the students. Did they forget who the teacher here was and who was in charge?

"Ahem, if we're done with the acquaintances, can we begin class now?" Rura-senpai asked out loud, gaining everyone's attention. Up till now, everyone's attention had been focused on Momoi and Momoi solely (with the addition of Kuroko after Momoi smothers him).

"Hmmm?" Momoi merely tilted her head adorably after Rura-senpai's question. "You can start class whenever you want Ru-senpai. You're the teacher here after all. You need to remember that you're the one in charge here." Momoi said as she wagged her finger at him knowingly, forcing hearts to replace the eyes' of every boy in the class albeit Kuroko.

Rura-senpai inwardly collapsed. '_I give up! I give UP!' _

He had transferred to this school with the hopes of finding a better education system and a more proper job. Yet now he seemed to be regretting his choice of transfer. '_This half year is going to be quite difficult…I can already see it_'

But Momoi paid no attention as she began humming to herself while imagining about the possibilities she now had with Kuroko now that she was in the same school as him. She suddenly snapped, as if realizing something.

'_I get to walk home with Tetsu-kun again!_'

It had felt like ages since they had walked home together. Momoi giggled to herself again, catching Kuroko's attention.

"What is it, Momoi-san?" Kuroko calls out, successfully gaining her attention and the boys around her as they turned to her as well.

"Hm?" Momoi responded as she looked at him. She then giggled again as she covered her mouth with her left hand. "No, its nothing!" She replied.

Kuroko merely tilted his head in curiosity, but shook off any thoughts nevertheless. Though the boys around Momoi groaned, fully aware of which _boy_ was most likely associated with what fantasies were going through her head at the moment.

* * *

At the sound of the bell signaling the end of school, Kuroko packed up his bags and prepared to leave the classroom. He sighed in relief once the number of glares he had been receiving the whole day finally diminished now that everyone was set on leaving. News about the beautiful new transfer student's affection had gotten to literally every student in the span of two hours and Kuroko had been receiving glares the whole day, even though he didn't have class with Momoi at the end of the day.

As he walked out of the school building, his train of thought was coincidentally stopped by the exact person he was just thinking of.

"Tetsu-kun~"

Immediately, Kuroko stiffened at the sense of glares begin directed at him by the students once again. Nevertheless he turned around and watched as Momoi ran up to him, waving with an ecstatic smile on her face.

"Tetsu-kun! Let's walk home together!" Momoi said to Kuroko with a smile on her face. Kuroko couldn't help but smile at Momoi's bubbly personality. She always seemed to be able to brighten the mood in the area wherever she was. But much to his chagrin, he was forced to decline.

"…I'm sorry, Momoi-san. But I've been called to meet with the rest of Seirin in the gym for practice after school." Kuroko politely declined. Although his face showed no remorse (no emotion at all actually), it was evident he was sincere in his apology by the tone of his voice. Momoi, noticing that, was not fazed in the slightest by the rejection at her attempt to spend time with Kuroko. Rather, this worked to her favor.

"Oh! Then I'll come with you!" Momoi said with a smile as she waved her hands in front of her after Kuroko's apology. "Ah! I mean, if that's okay with Tetsu-kun of course! But if you'd prefer I didn't, then I completely understand!" Momoi followed up as her eyes widened after noticing her rude manners.

Kuroko merely smiled at her response and shook her head. "Nn, that's completely fine. I'm sure my fellow teammates will not mind the company…" Kuroko trailed as he thought about how their coach Aida might respond once she sees Momoi and begins comparing her to herself again.

Momoi took no notice of Kuroko's voice trailing as her face lit up once hearing Kuroko's confirmation. "Thank you, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said happily. She grabbed his hand and began pulling him along. "Let's go!" She said as she dragged him towards the building.

"…Momoi-san…We're heading in the wrong direction…"

* * *

"Hah, hah, hah" Kagami maintained a steady breathing pattern as he continued to sprint around the court boundary lines. Every practice, they would begin with a 5-10 minute sprint around the court lines (depending on the mood of their coach…), in order to get their blood and adrenaline flowing. This procedure would usually be followed up by several stretches to loosen up the limbs while simultaneously catching their breath after the sprint. After that, the drills would have rotate and the order of drills would vary each day.

"Oh, Kuroko's finally here…..wait…is that….M-Momoi?!"

At that remark, Kagami looked towards the gym entrance, to see Kuroko and Momoi entering. While Kuroko held no emotion or reaction at the sight of them running, Momoi's face was one of pure joy and innocence as she gave off her infectious smile and waved furiously at them.

"Hello everyone!" She yelled across the court.

All of a sudden, the members of Seirin were thrown into chaos at the sight of her angelic smile. As if an invisible force blocked their way, the front line of sprinters suddenly slowed down and fell out of order. Out of reaction, the second line collided with them, and so forth. After the sound of screams and gasps of pain subsided, what was left in the court was:

Kuroko who merely stood their and smiled at their clumsiness;

Momoi who held a hand to her mouth with her eyes wide in surprise at the turn of events;

And their coach Riko Aida, who was shaking her head in disappointment, while a nerve seemed to be popping out of her forehead.

"Men, at the sight of a woman, they completely lose all control of all bodily functions and train of thought." Riko Aida muttered as her left eye twitched (seems to ignore that fact that they don't act like such around her…).

Momoi merely giggled at the sight before them. Kagami was the first to recover after the collapse. His head popped up from somewhere near the middle of the pile.

"M-Momoi! What're you doing here?!" Kagami yelled, as he was caught off-guard by her appearance.

"Hm? Kagamin doesn't know already?" Momoi asked as she tilted her head curiously.

"Eh? Know what?" Kagami asked as he looked around at the others for a response.

"Sigh…what do you do in school all day, sleep?" Hyuga spoke rhetorically as he held a hand to his forehead, while Kagami grumbled something about boring teachers and lame classes.

"Haven't you heard, Kagami? Everyone had been talking about Momoi's transfer to Seirin ever since she was spotted on-campus in the morning." Kiyoshi pointed out.

"Eh? Seriously?" Kagami asked as he looked over to Momoi, who was smiling and nodding rapidly now. He then frowned as a thought crossed his head. "Wait why? Are you that obsessed with Kuroko?"

"W-What are you saying?!" Momoi immediately blushed at Kagami's remark as she held her cheeks with both of her hands. "I wouldn't transfer all the way here just for Tetsu-kun…n-not like that! Please don't take that the wrong way! I came here for more than just that! To say such a thing, Kagami-kun~" Momoi said as she shook her head and her body along with it back and forth.

At the sight of her chest swinging back and forth, the boys of Seirin found themselves ogling at her, much to the coach's chagrin, who was no sporting a second nerve threatening to pop.

….

….

….

Minutes later, the group of boys found themselves with bruises on their heads, and the coach flexing her right arm.

"…I understand you're need to hit them….but why must I be assaulted as well senpai…." Kuroko said as his head sported a bump as well.

"Hehehe…sorry about that. Seems I got carried away again…."Aida said guiltily as she tried to laugh it off. Momoi merely giggled at the said-events, already enjoying the light atmosphere in the gym.

"Tetsu-kun! Come here, I'll make the pain go away~" Momoi called out as she pulled Kuroko into a hug. Since Kuroko was slightly taller than her, she had to pull him down so that he was slouching as he laid his head on her left shoulder, so she could rub the top of his head affectionately.

"Hahhh, I'm so jealous…"

"How come he's taken care of like that…we all got hit too ya know…"

"Gahhh, curse you Kuroko…"

Another nerve began to slowly pop up on Riko Aida's forehead as her eyes twitched again.

"Everyone" Kuroko called out. "…I think it would be best if you got up now."

It seemed that the members of Seirin had yet to get up from the pile they formed after the collision.

"I think Koganei-senpai may be suffocating underneath all the pressure…" Kuroko called out from his position on Momoi's shoulder. Suddenly, all attention was brought to Koganei, who was at the very bottom of the pile and was turning a very dark shade of purple.

"S-somebody….help…." Koganei gasped out.

"O-Oi, don't go dying out on us now!" Hyuga yelled as he got up from the pile and pulled Koganei out from underneath the pile and began shaking him furiously.

Momoi found herself laughing once again at their childish antics. Yes, she would fit in perfectly here. At this point, Kuroko had gone to go place his personal belongings, in the locker room, along with Momoi's as well.

"Arf!"

Momoi's attention was stolen from the players as she looked around for where the noise came from.

"Arf!"

Momoi looked down to see Nigou, the team mascot, sitting in front of Momoi with his tail wagging and tongue sticking out. Immediately, Momoi's face lit up as a smile ran across her face and stars replaced her eyes.

"Nigou! I'm so happy to see you, I missed you so much!" Momoi said as she rubbed her cheek against his fur affectionately. She then hugged Nigou into her chest and began twirling around.

"Armph!" A stifled bark could be heard from Nigou's position.

"K-kawaii…"

"I never thought I'd find myself envying the life of a dog…"

"We really ought to be ashamed…."

Kiyoshi smiled and chuckled to himself as he shook his head. Even though a whole year had passed, the team as a whole had yet to mature, although he was quite happy with that. He doubted playing would be so enjoyable if it weren't for his fellow members' childish behaviors.

It seemed that Momoi would fit right in at Seirin, like another member to the already enlarged family.

* * *

At the end of practice, Momoi awaited Kuroko's arrival inside the gym. The members had left the gymnasium and entered locker room to shower and change. Looking up at the ceiling, Momoi began reminiscing about the events that occurred today. It seemed that her treatment in school itself was no different than in Touou. Everyone still seemed to be infatuated with her.

Yet practice had been a completely different thing.

Although they had definitely practiced today, as can be seen from the ridiculous amount of sweating portrayed by the members of Seirin, it still looked like they fooled around from an outsider's point of view. The best way to describe it was like playing basketball at park; playing seriously but taking it lightly as well, filled with determination and conviction, but no tense and conflicting atmosphere.

And overall, Momoi could undoubtedly say that she had enjoyed her first day at Seirin.

"Momoi-san."

Momoi was brought back down to Earth as a call from behind her grabbed her attention. "Tetsu-kun!"

Behind her stood Kuroko, who was already dressed and with his bag slung on his shoulders while he carried Momoi's.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for making you carry my stuff, here let me take it!" Momoi said frantically as she reached for her bag. But Kuroko merely pulled his hand away, refusing to give it up.

"No, please allow me. I'd feel more comfortable if you'd let me carry it for you." Kuroko responded as Momoi's eyes widened in surprise at Kuroko politeness. Although they had known each other quite well and were close, he still treated her so formally.

'_Unlike another certain mean, aggravating Touou player_' Momoi thought to herself annoyingly. She could not help but compare the two. Although she was fully aware that Aomine meant no harm, she would be lying if she said his immature antics did not annoy her, such as when he insulted her just for showing concern about his injury from playing against Kise.

"Eh? Aren't we going home Tetsu-kun?" Momoi called out. It had just come across her that they had taken a left after exiting the gym, rather than taking a right towards their houses. Although they were not neighbors, they did live in the same general direction from school.

"Kise-kun, Aomine-kun, Akashi-kun, Murasakibara-kun and I agreed to walk home together after walking to the supermarket for some snacks. Midorima-kun stated that he would be heading directly home….Unless you prefer we walk straight home?" Kuroko asked as he brought out his phone and searched through his contact list to call the group.

"N-no no that's completely fine!" Momoi said as she stopped Kuroko from calling the others. "I just didn't know you all planned to do that, that's all…..Hauuu how come no one told me about it…" Momoi pouted as animated tears began falling from her eyes.

"…You're being too overdramatic, Momoi-san…We had assumed you would come either way, and so decided I would just bring you with me." Kuroko responded. Although he did truly care for his friend (possibly more?), he was no gullible victim to her childish pranks.

"Hm? Its Tetsu and Satsuki."

"Kurokocchi! Momocchi!"

At that moment, Kise's and Aomine's voice reached both of their ears as they looked to their left and spotted the two with Murasakibara. It seemed that the three had met up before reaching the market, and now met up with Kuroko and Momoi coincidentally as well.

"Aomine-kun! Ki-chan! Hello!" Momoi waved furiously as she ran over to them. Kuroko took notice of the fact that Akashi was not with them. True, Midorima wasn't either, but he had informed that he wouldn't be available. Akashi on the other hand, mentioned that he was willing to meet up with them, calling it the perfect chance to re-establish their bonds.

"Kise-kun. Where is Akashi-kun?" Kuroko spoke his thoughts once they reached the group of three. Kise put on what seemed as a forced smile as he responded.

"…Akashicchi called Midorimacchi and told him that he wouldn't be able to come with us. Apparently, something unnoticed came up and needed his attention. So Midorimacchi told us." Kise replied.  
Kuroko frowned to himself after hearing Kise's reply. Akashi was never someone to be caught off-guard like that. He was always the type of person who was always on top of everything when it came to tasks. Naturally, this meant everything went according to as he planned. So in order for him to be caught off-guard and have to improvise, it certainly put Kuroko off. Staring at Kise, Kuroko could surmise that he had been thinking about the exact same thing as well. Kuroko took note to talk to Akashi later on in the week or so, about this issue.

"Momocchi! How was your first day at Seirin?" Kise asked with a smile on his face as they walked towards the supermarket.

"Nn, I loved it!" Momoi said with a smile on her face. "The principals gave me a 1-week trial to see if I wanted to transfer back to Touou or not, but as it is, I might just tell them my decision by the next two days!" Momoi said with confidence.

Kise made sure to glance at Aomine to gauge his reaction in response to what Momoi said, yet no one else took notice of the way Aomine had distanced himself and looked away at Momoi's remark. The man seemed to be struggling to say something aloud, most likely something relative to the conversation at hand.

"Hmm? We're here~" Murasakibara's monotone voice gave off somewhat off a joyous feeling as they arrived at the entrance of the market.

"Oi! Remember what Akashi said! You've got a limit of how much you can spend this time! Any more and he'll be penalizing you!" Aomine finally spoke up as he reprimanded Murasakibara, who had walked ahead of the group, no doubt with the thoughts of snacks and sweets in his head.

"Hauuu, Aka-chin is so mean…" Murasakibara pouted. Nevertheless, he complied with Akashi's demands. It seemed that although he wasn't even present, Akashi's order was still absolute amongst the members of the GoM, even after they separated.

Momoi laughed and smiled at Murasakibara's adorable behavior and entered the market along with Kuroko and Murasakibara. Aomine proceeded to enter, but was held back by Kise.

"Aominecchi…you heard what she said. You've got about 3 to 4 days at best before its final….Do you plan on trying to convince her to stay? Best do it before you regret it pal." Kise spoke to Aomine after releasing his grip on Aomine's arm. Aomine did nothing but look at the concrete sidewalk, with thoughts running through his head.

"….Yeah, I'm gonna try and talk to her. But its gotta be in private." Aomine responded while he looked towards the market entrance. "I'm just gonna have to wait till I get the chance to talk to her."

And with that, he entered the market. Kise said nothing and did nothing for sometime, merely staring at the market entrance.

"Ki-chan~ Aren't you coming inside? Don't worry, Aomine-kun said he would pay~" Momoi's voice rang through the doors as her head stuck out.

"H-Hey! Don't go off putting words in my mouth Satsuki!" Aomine's voice could be heard from within the store. Kise laughed to himself before joining his friends in the store.

"…Tetsu-kun…"

"Yes, Momoi-san."

"I-Its not that I don't enjoy your company…but you didn't have to walk with me all the way to my house while carrying my bag…" Momoi spoke as she tried so furiously to fight the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

"I wanted to be with you."

That sentence alone set Momoi's cheeks ablaze.

'_H-He wants me!_' Momoi misinterpreted Kuroko response as a confirmation of love. Until…

"I wasn't comfortable with you walking all the way home all by yourself." Kuroko continued.

Momoi's heart, which had been beating erratically just now, was squashed as if it was crushed by a fist that had NOPE written on the four fingers.

'_So close…_' Momoi thought to herself. While she **did **misinterpret Kuroko's answer, it was undeniable that Kuroko had wanted to spend more time with Momoi ever since they had re-met during the Interhigh tournament.

"Momoi-san…"

Momoi's attention was brought back to Kuroko, as he spoke out.

"…If its alright with you, would it be okay if we walked to school together, now that we both attend Seirin…" Kuroko asked quietly, in a voice that would undoubtedly have been unheard had the streets not been so abandoned in the night.

Momoi's eyes widened after hearing Kuroko's question. Yet she was quick to respond, fearing that a delayed answer may come off as a rejection.

"Yes! Yes, I'd love to!" Momoi seemed to have over-reacted as she tackled Kuroko in what felt like the 100th hug during the whole day. As fast as she had latched onto him, she detached herself and ran into her house.

"Goodnight Tetsu-kun! I'll be out by 7:15!" Momoi did not enter the house without waving and saying goodbye. As they finally split, they did so with smiles on their faces, each already looking forward to the next day.


	9. Chapter 9: Another Problem?

Chapter 9: Another Problem?

"Hah hah…"

"Hah, 2 more minutes….on the clock…"

"Might as well…try to finish….another lap..."

_TWEEEET_

Riko Aida blew on the whistle, gaining the attention of every Seirin member who was still running the daily warm-up jog.

"I've changed my mind! Finish up the lap you're on and set for stretches! We're going straight into scrimmaging afterwards!" Aida yelled out while several members inwardly jumped for joy at what they considered a blessing of mercy.

Kiyoshi dropped down on the floor as he tried to catch his breath. "You know…" Kiyoshi panted out.

"It may just be me, but it seems like Kuroko's getting a lot of rewards even though we're all struggling here…" He continued as his rate of breath steadied. The attention of every Seirin member was dragged over to Kuroko, who was now the last man that had yet to finish his last lap. He was seen jogging at averagely slower pace compared to most of Seirin with sweat trickling down his face. But it was not that view which was grabbing their attention.

"….We really need to get girlfriends…"

"Correction, she isn't his 'girlfriend' apparently."

"My ass…even if she wasn't, I doubt we could find someone like her for us…"

"Go Tetsu-kun! You're doing great! Just a little more~" Momoi yelled out alongside Kuroko. She was riding on a bike matching Kuroko's pace and riding with him during the whole jog while shouting words of encouragement.

"Yaay you finished Tetsu-kun!" Momoi yelled as she jumped up for joy once Kuroko finished.

"….Don't you think she's exaggerating a little bit…" Kagami muttered. True, from the perspective of an average human being, cheering because someone finished up a warm-up sprint would seem slightly eccentric and weird. But of course if this was mentioned to anyone, they would immediately deny that Momoi was average, and comment about how she was "an angel bestowed upon mankind by the Lord".

"Thank you, Momoi-san." Kuroko said with a small smile as he grabbed a towel offered by Momoi. Nevertheless of her overdramatic reactions Kuroko remained unfazed by her exaggerated antics, actually smiling at her behavior.

Momoi's eyes twinkled as she blushed at Kuroko's response. She held her hands to her cheeks and ran away, with flowers seeming to surround her as she ran.

"Yep, drama queen right there…" Hyuga said in a flat-tone voice as he supported Kagami's previous statement.

"Though you can't deny, she sure is a beauty…" Koganei muttered as he stared at her play with Nigou, who was in her hands and rapidly licking her face as she giggled. He watched in awe with his eyes being replaced by throbbing hearts.

Mitobe caught on to what was about to happen, and began waving his hands furiously in order to stop him, fearing for the consequences of Koganei's actions. Koganei caught Mitobe waving his hands in denial rapidly. Normally although Mitobe never spoke the members of Seirin, especially Koganei, could easily comprehend what he meant to say through his hand signs…although this just happened to be the one time where Koganei misunderstood.

"Hm? You don't agree?" Koganei misunderstood Mitobe's intentions, not realizing Mitobe was signaling for him to stop and assuming the waving of hands meant he disagreed.

"How can you think that?!" Koganei yelled with a fist as the hearts in his eyes were replaced by a blazing fire.

"She is a blessing bestowed upon us! The true reward for winning the Winter High! Her beautiful pink hair, followed by that innocent and pure smile, and not to mention those delicate, smooth and soft thighs underneath that short skir-"

_BAM_

Koganei went no further as a random basketball came flying and found its mark on the back of Koganei's head and forced him to collapse

"Gahhh…." Koganei muttered as he got up and rubbed his head tenderly. "What the hell just happened?" Koganei asked to no on in particular.

The members of Seirin all looked behind Koganei, who also turned around to see where the ball came from.

….

….

Kuroko stood there innocently on the bench with a towel around his neck and numerous basketballs around him.

….

….

"Kuroko?" Koganei called out. Kuroko turned to look at Koganei and showed no facial expression.

"Yes, senpai?" Kuroko responded as he usually did.

"…..Nah, never mind." Koganei responded as he turned back around. '_Pfft. There's no way he would do that. Kuroko ain't the type to be so violent. If it was Kagami, now THAT I could understand happening._'

Izuki and Kiyoshi merely shrugged off the possibility, most likely coming to the same conclusion as Koganei. But Mitobe merely sweatdropped at his members ignorance, while Hyuga put on a mischievous smirk, as if realizing what just happened and why it did.

"But going back to the previous topic...Koganei isn't exactly exaggerating…I mean she **is** pretty hot…" Kawahara trailed off as he began to blush from whatever images he imagined.

_BAM_

Yet another ball came from the same direction of the first one and found its mark on Kawahara's head, making him collapse as well.

….

….

And once again, the members of Seirin turned to see Kuroko looking off into the distance innocently. And once again, they shrugged off the possibility of the assaulter being Kuroko and turned away from him.

"And not to mention her assets…" Hyuga trailed off with a smirk, as if daring Kuroko behind him to throw as basketball at Hyuga.

….

….

True a flying basketball never came, but Hyuga's will began to waver slightly under the harsh glare he was receiving from Kuroko's location on the bench behind them.

'_He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't do it._' Hyuga kept reminding himself until…

_THWACK_

Hyuga felt something hard crash and break on impact with his head.

….

….

The members of Seirin, like Hyuga were on the floor with bumps on their heads as Riko Aida walked past the group as she rubbed her right fist's knuckles and with a broken clipboard underneath her arm.

"So cruel…."

"We gotta be wary of coach when talking about Momoi…"

"Ehh? What happened here?" Momoi asked innocently as she walked up to the group after hearing all the commotion. Kuroko was quick to reach her side.

"Nothing, Momoi-san. They'll all be fine." He said as he came up to her.

"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi responded by merely acknowledging his presence. She then immediately frowned. "Are you sure? They don't look so good…"

_SNAP_

Suddenly she napped her fingers as she came to a realization. "Maybe I could massage their injuries! That would make the pain go away!" Momoi said with a smile of triumph at what she believed to be an achievement. Suddenly, her arm was grabbed.

"Ehh?" was how Momoi responded as Kuroko grabbed her wrist.

"There is no need for that." Kuroko replied quickly. "We should get a head start and head for the gym. Aida-senpai said that we're going to go straight to scrimmaging immediately." Kuroko said as he dragged her and paid no attention to her rapidly blushing face.

'_Tetsu-kun is holding me~ He's taking charge, so manly of you Tetsu-kun!_' were the thoughts running through Momoi's head as she was dragged by the wrist towards the gym. Suddenly Momoi realized that she originally had something on her mind.

"Tetsu-kun" Momoi called out.

"Yes, Momoi-san?" Kuroko replied, yet continued to walk towards the gym.

"Um…after practice…I was wondering if we could….you know….g-go to the arcade right after!" Momoi forced the last few words out of her mouth as the blush turned a scarlet crimson.

"Oof!"

Kuroko immediately halted, forcing Momoi to run right into his back.

"T-Tetsu-kun?" Momoi called out worryingly. Kuroko turned around, with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry, Momoi-san. But I already promised Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun that I would accompany them to the library after practice." Kuroko responded. Seeing the hopeful look on Momoi's turn to one of distraught and despair, Kuroko frowned and immediately apologized once again.

"I'm very sorry, Momoi-san. I didn't mean to intrude on your plans, hones-"

"N-No no, that's completely ok! It's my fault for making such a sudden request without planning ahead. Don't think anything of it!" Momoi cut Kuroko's apology off as she shook her head left and right. Kuroko stood there for several seconds, gauging her reaction and debating on whether to drop the topic. Seconds later, he chose the latter and continued on his way towards the gym, this time without their hands being linked.

Momoi followed behind him, hiding her frustration as she bit her lip.

* * *

**Momoi's Centered**

Although on the outside, she was a peaceful innocent young girl, she was a frustrated woman who was in love and at a loss on the inside. She fell in love with Kuroko during their first year in Teiko. Now it was first year in high school, this year being the 4th year that she harbored feelings for the boy.

(If I'm correct, they spent three years in Teiko.)

Yet although nearly 4 years had passed, she had made no progress with the boy than she had in their first year at Teiko. He was still the quiet and silent boy that showed no feelings of embarrassment when smothered by her. He did not blush, he did not stutter, he showed practically no signs of insecurity, or rather any emotion at all.

Could it be that he was unaware of her feelings and the hints she's given?

Momoi immediately shook her head as she followed Kuroko in silence.

'_Tetsu-kun isn't like that._' Momoi said to herself. To her, Kuroko was not like all the others. He wasn't ignorant, rude, easy to sway and most of all; he wasn't dense to a woman's feelings. If a man could comfort her the way Kuroko does, then they possibly can't be dense when it comes to love.

And hints?

Momoi stifled a laugh as she thought of that. She literally throws herself at the boy in public; such a thing is not considered a hint but a declaration instead.

So why?

'_Why doesn't he make a move? Why doesn't he do anything at all?!_' were the main thoughts in her head responsible for their turmoil. Whenever she declared herself his girlfriend he would always deny it, yet he never asked her to stop, nor did he ever turn down her feelings. Truth be told, he never actually responded to her feelings. It was like a taboo to him to speak of such things.

As such, Momoi had no choice but leave it as it was, unwilling to pressure him to answer what his feelings were. This wasn't like some drama show, Momoi actually had reason to doubt whether Kuroko returned her feelings.

Unlike in those shows, Momoi's feelings were well aware among everyone in their social group, even Kuroko. So Kuroko would have no reason to doubt whether she had feelings for him. Rather, it's her who had to be cautious, seeing as how Kuroko never made any moves to turn down her advancements or make any of his own.

As it was, Momoi could only endure. And endure is exactly what she did for the past 3 years and will continue to do until she decides that she needs to get a straight answer.

"Momoi-san." Momoi was brought back to reality once Kuroko called out to her. Judging from the guilty look on his face, she assumed that he had taken notice of her distraught face while she was pondering on her thoughts and thought she was still brooding over his rejection.

"How about…we go out for some ice cream after the get together this Saturday? Just…you and me?" Kuroko asked. Momoi's eyes widened in surprise the second she heard Kuroko's attempt at making plans. She then gave off a bright smile as her face involuntarily heated up, as the hope in her was rekindled.

"Nn! I'm looking forward to it, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi agreed whole-heartedly while nodding her head. Kuroko smiled, obviously satisfied with her reaction and entered the gym that was now in front of them, completely oblivious to the fact that Momoi's head was in even more turmoil then before.

'_So does he like me or not?!_'

* * *

**General Perspective**

"Hahhh" Momoi sighed as she stretched and took in the cool breeze in the evening. Practice had just ended and Momoi had just exited the building. It was still January, so it was still quite chilly outside. Yet this hardly bothered Momoi who had grown fond of the cold, finding it refreshing to feel the cool breeze on the skin. She let out an involuntary yawn and decided to walk home.

"Sigh." Momoi sighed in disappointment as she grabbed her bag, which was on the floor. Even though Kuroko had just asked yesterday if they could walk to-and-from school from now on, she already found herself walking home alone.

"Thank you for waiting, Momoi-san. I'm ready now."

"E-Eh?" Momoi was taken back as Kuroko suddenly appeared beside her.

"Tetsu-kun? W-Wait! But…I though you were meeting with Akashi-kun and Midorin at the library?" Momoi reminded Kuroko as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Although she felt bad that her attempt at having time together was shot down, she would feel even worse if she intervened on Kuroko's plans with others.

Kuroko stopped and simply looked at her with a frown and questioning eyes, as if she was the one who was being foolish and out of place. "I am. After I bring you home, of course." Kuroko said as if it was completely obvious.

"I've already said it before. I am not comfortable with you walking home alone. You are first priority, Momoi-san." Kuroko said, not realizing what his last sentence could've implied.

'_…I give up._' Momoi blushed as she sighed inwardly and gave up on figuring out how Kuroko felt about her. She naturally, she just went along.

"O-okay!" Momoi smiled as she caught up to Kuroko so that they were walking side by side. And she **definitely **took notice of the fact that Kuroko did not let go of her hand. Oh how she wished there were more people on the streets at this time to see this.

~20 minutes later~

"Midorima-kun, I'm here." Kuroko decided to make his presence known as he walked up to Midorima, who was standing in front of the library. Kuroko had dropped off Momoi not too long ago and came straight to the library.

"Hm, Kuroko. I'm sorry but it seems our get-together must be postponed. Akashi cannot make it today. Apparently, he is unavailable." Midorima spoke out once he noticed Kuroko.

"….I see…" Kuroko frowned as he responded slowly. The two did nothing but stand in silence for the next several seconds until Midorima spoke up.

"Kuroko, you understand what's wrong….right?" Midorima spoke up, breaking the silence. Kuroko did nothing but nod slowly as he looked at the ground, deep in thought.

The first time Akashi had turned them down, it had been when they all chose to walk home together, and that was the day where he was **supposed **to go, but ended saying that something came up. That alone was quite out of the norm because Akashi was known to always be on top of everything, always planning everything out perfectly. Yet it was increasingly worrying after that though.

That event had been awhile ago, yet none of the members of the GoM had yet to make physical contact with Akashi. It was as if the he was excluding himself from the group.

"Something's wrong." Kuroko let those two words come out of his mouth involuntarily, yet it spoke what the both of them had decided was the reason for Akashi's behavior. It was the only explanation they could think of that made sense in Akashi's case.

"What do you propose we do, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko asked as he looked up to Midorima. Midorima stood silently, pondering about Kuroko's question.

"It may be necessary that we directly confront him about this issue. Preferably just you and I, seeing as how the other three are not fit to deal with this maturely. And preferably we should deal with it **now**, to see what exactly is keeping Akashi so busy." Midorima responded to Kuroko's answer.

Kuroko nodded in agreement at Midorima's solution. "I take it you know the way to his house?" Kuroko commented once Midorima began walking.

"Hmph, of course." Midorima snorted. "Let's go and get this over with. The earlier we do, the less time I need to waste." Midorima continued as he walked along with Kuroko right behind him.

….

….

The walk to Akashi's house was very uncomfortable for Kuroko, to say the least. True he was the quiet type of person, but he loved to be in the presence of social people, hearing them chat amongst themselves. It never made him feel lonely as he would simply listen on in their conversations and add in his own remark now and then.

Thinking about it now, Kuroko just realized that Aomine, Kise and Momoi were the most social of the GoM. Normally when they walked, it would be Kise fooling around, Aomine making his usual retorts and Momoi scolding Aomine, playing along with Kise or smothering Kuroko. Akashi was never one to be quite social ever since their second year at Teiko and Midorima always took things to seriously, criticizing Aomine and Murasakibara, who would always comment on something about food.

Truth be told, Kuroko and Midorima never truly got along very well since their very beginning in Teiko, regardless of the mutual admiration they share for each other. Unlike Kise and Aomine, who couldn't restrain from talking, Midorima was not the type to spark up an average random conversation.

"….Midorima-kun." Kuroko decided that he could not bear the silence and needed to speak out. Midorima did not show any sign of reaction, merely continuing to walk forward.

"What is it?" Midorima responded while continuing to look forward.

"What…what do you think of me?" Kuroko asked out hesitantly. Midorima halted suddenly in his path as he stood there. He turned his head to the left so that Kuroko could see half his face.

"…What do you mean?" Midorima asked as he continued to walk forward.

"…It's quite clear that we are not the closest of friends, even among the GoM. As such, I'm simply curious as to what Midorima-kun's perspective of me is." Kuroko re-iterated on his question.

Midorima did nothing but snort at Kuroko's question and continued walking, with Kuroko right behind him. Although he held a poker face, Midorima could easily see the concern on Kuroko's face. Kuroko will always be Kuroko, and Kuroko is most definitely someone who cherishes the people he meets and admires.

"Regardless of how it seems, I **do** see you as a friend Kuroko. Although it's impossible for to be alike for due to our incompatible blood types, we share a mutual affection for basketball and practice, and I take satisfaction from that. Just because we are completely different beings, does not mean we cannot be friends." Midorima said to Kuroko, who let a small smile pop up on his face.

"Thank you, Midorima-kun." Kuroko thanked Midorima, but whether it was for explaining or merely considering Kuroko as a friend, Midorima could not tell.

"…And by the way."

Kuroko stopped once he heard Midorima's voice once again.

Midorima turned his head once more, but with a smile this time. "…I think I finally understand why you chose to go to Seirin. And after witnessing everything that's happened since Teiko, I just wanted to say….thank you." Midorima said the last part as he turned his head back forward and walked on.

Kuroko did nothing but stand there where he last stopped. All of a sudden, he found himself chuckling slightly. He may not have understand **why** he was laughing, but all he knew was that it just kept coming out involuntarily, and that felt good and all of a sudden, his chest felt quite lighter. As such, he began to jog as he tried to catch up to Midorima.

When Kuroko had finally caught up to Midorima, he found Midorima standing still in front of the gates of a mansion. Looking at the gate, Kuroko suddenly felt the atmosphere cool down several degrees as goose bumps spread across his arms.

"…You feel it don't you? That intense pressure?" Midorima spoke out both of their thoughts as they stood still in front of the gates.

Kuroko walked up to Midorima and put his hand on Midorima's right shoulder, earning his attention. Midorima raised an eyebrow, as if questioning what Kuroko was getting at. Kuroko did nothing but send him a reassuring smile.

"Together." was all that Kuroko said to Midorima, but it was all that was needed.

"…Yeah. Together."

And with that, both boys rang the doorbell that was posted alongside the gate, waiting whatever was within the mansion.

* * *

_DING DONG_

Akashi looked up from his study table towards the window at the sound of the doorbell. Instinctively he frowned.

'_Who would have the need to come here this late at night?'_

These thoughts ran threw Akashi's head as he got up from his chair and walked over to the window in his room, the one that had a direct view of the front of his mansion. His eyes involuntarily widened as Midorima's and Kuroko's presence caught him off guard. Immediately he exited his room and pressed the button on the intercom that opened the gates.

'_I did tell Shintaro that I wouldn't be meeting up with them didn't I?' _Akashi said to himself inwardly as he walked down the stairs to approach the door. He opened the door to see Midorima and Kuroko now standing side-by-side in front of the door.

"Good evening, Akashi-kun." Kuroko greeted him with the basic, while Midorima simply stood there silently.

"Shintaro, Tetsuya what are you doing here? Do you need anything?" Akashi skipped the greetings and went straight to the point.

"We're here on the account of your repetitive absences these past few days." Midorima replied to Akashi's question.

Akashi frowned at Midorima's reply. This hardly seemed like a reason to come visit him, in his perspective.

"I've told you haven't I, some issues had come up and I was unable to attend our appointed meetings. Simple as that." Akashi said. Even now, they disregarded the fact that Akashi was still at the front door with Midorima and Kuroko still outside, a sign of disrespect and lack of manners.

Midorima immediately scoffed at Akashi's response. "What do you take us for Akashi? Even the blue-headed moron and Kise could tell something was up." Midorima retorted.

"….Akashi-kun, we know something's wrong. You aren't the kind of person to be caught off guard by something so trivial, nevertheless several times. We're concerned." Kuroko voice out his opinions, making Akashi's involuntarily sigh.

"Sigh….I suppose this much was expected…..Come inside, my father isn't home yet. I'll explain inside." Akashi said as he left the door open and re-entered his house. Kuroko looked up to Midorima, whose face did not falter or show any signs of wavering as he entered after Akashi. Kuroko did nothing but follow in his steps.

Akashi sat down on the living room couch, with Midorima and Kuroko sitting across from him with a coffee table in between them.

"So, why don't you start by telling us what the problem is exactly?" Midorima went straight to the point the second they all sat down.

"Hmph, calling it a problem is a bit of an exaggeration." Akashi snorted. "I'm merely spending the break in-between basketball seasons more efficiently focusing on my studies."

Kuroko frowned at Akashi's answer. Of course it was evident that Akashi definitely put education at the top of his priorities, but he never did such a thing last year at Teiko like he is now. Akashi would always spend time with their small group after class every day, regardless of whether it was during basketball season or not.

"….You had never done such a thing when we were at Teiko, Akashi-kun." Kuroko mentioned.

"That's right. Plus it would seem more likely to believe that you would be spending this free time honing your skills in basketball, alongside the members of Rakuzan." Midorima followed up Kuroko's comment with a supporting one.

Akashi stiffened ever so slightly, yet such a minute reaction was definitely noticed by Midorima's perceptive eyes. Midorima put his hands together and propped his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin on his enclosed hands.

"Why are you really doing this?" Midorima once again questioned Akashi, but with a glint in his eye as if daring Akashi to make up another excuse that he would contradict. Akashi sighed, realizing that trying to hide the truth would be futile in the face of someone as perceptive as Midorima. Akashi may be educationally superior to all of the GoM, but that did not mean Midorima was a push-over, no he was most definitely someone not to take lightly.

"…Ever since we lost the Winter High finals to Seirin, my father has been on my case constantly. He seems to believe that my failure in basketball could affect other areas of my school life." Akashi let out the truth as he lay back on the couch.

Kuroko made an 'oh' face as if just realizing something. It would make sense that Akashi would share similar ideals as his father, especially since his father was someone of wealth and high status. As such, the course of action his father took made sense in this type of situation. But there was still something off….

"…So your father is forcing you to focus more on studying rather than participating in club activities? If your father really is a man of success who prioritizes things such as clubs and education such as yourself, I find such a contradicting course of action hard to believe." Midorima said as his eyes narrowed. It seemed that he still believed that Akashi had yet to let out the truth.

"Of course not, I'm simply to focus solely on studying until the start of the spring season for basketball. My father has ordered me to come directly home by 4:30 and direct all my focus on my education…. Such is the consequences of failure in this household." Akashi muttered the last sentence with a disappointed and defeated tone.

And it was at that point where Kuroko had an epiphany. Looking back at the past season, Kuroko and Seirin had versed each and every member of the GoM and their respective teams at least once. And thinking about it now, Kuroko finally recalled how the GoM reacted to actually losing for once and to an average team at that.

Besides Midorima, who didn't seem to over-react in anyway, Murasakibara had begun crying while Aomine remained in shock for some time and Kise just outright refused to believe it at first. Yet Kuroko had not seen how Akashi had reacted due to his collapse at the end of the game.

_Depression and self-rejection_

It seemed that Akashi had begun to lose faith in himself after experiencing a loss for the first time in his life.

"Akashi-kun, losing the finals doesn't mean you are a failure. Earning second place is still an achievement worth speaking of." Kuroko tried to reassure Akashi, seeing how the loss was affecting the GoM's captain.

Akashi merely smiled at Kuroko's attempt to comfort him. "I failed to achieve first place in the Winter Cup. Does that not classify me as a failure?" Akashi responded to Kuroko's assurance.

"Such a narrow-minded ideal is disappointing coming from you, Akashi." Midorima huffed as he looked away.

"It cannot be helped. Such is the way of this family. Being first means success, and success means everything in this family." Akashi said as he looked up at the ceiling. "I was raised from my childhood believing that achieving first in every category is a necessity. So losing this match just brings me back to square one, as if the past 16 years never occurred." Akashi ended as he looked back down at the two players across from him.

"I failed to maintain first, and I failed to uphold the family ideals. As such, I'm a failure." Akashi ended with that sentence.

….

….

Silence ensued after that statement.

"….Just how far do you think you would've have gotten with those kinds of ideals." Midorima was the first to break the silence. Akashi's eyes narrowed in response.

"Up until now, even you cannot question my achievements Shintaro." Akashi retorted.

"That may be true, but look at you now. The once idolized emperor of Teiko now diminished to a depressed pushover who wallows in sorrow over one loss. Hypothetically speaking, if this had not occurred until later on in life when you had a family and a job, how do you plan to cope with it then?" Midorima questioned Akashi. Akashi frowned at Midorima's hypothetical question.

"Hmph, such a thing is impossible and would never occur." Akashi responded half-heartedly. Midorima raised an eyebrow at the confidence Akashi showed.

"Did you not just lose the Winter High finals, something that was supposedly 'never' to occur?" Midorima asked rhetorically. Judging from how Akashi's posture stiffened, Midorima gave off a 'my point exactly' face as he huffed.

"As I said, if such a thing did occur, then how would you have planned to deal with life if you can't even handle it now in high school?" Midorima ended with a questioned that was directed at Akashi, who met it with nothing but silence.

….

….

….

"….If we played again now…I don't think we can beat Akashi-kun and his team." Kuroko spoke out for the first time in the last 5 to 10 minutes, catching both Midorima and Akashi off-guard. But clearly, his statement surprised them even more than his mere presence.

"What do you mean, Kuroko? It was quite evident that when you entered the Zone, the game had taken a complete 180 in Seirin's favor. Such a thing would normally be impossible." Midorima argued against Kuroko's statement.

"Your abilities in the Zone are not something than can be overpowered by mere skills or numbers, Tetsuya. Even I was at a loss at figuring out a solution." Akashi backed up Midorima with a frown on his face. To him, it seemed like Kuroko was still bent on trying to comfort Akashi.

But Kuroko did nothing but shake his head in denial at their arguments.

"It's as you said, that was only when I was in the Zone. But you've seen the backlash of entering the Zone for me." Kuroko reminded them of the near-death condition he was in after the game had ended.

"So you're implying that you wouldn't actually enter the Zone, had you versed Rakuzan or another team again." Midorima said as he made an 'oh' expression. Kuroko did nothing but nod his head as Midorima understood what he was getting at.

"Nn, that's right. The only reason I entered the Zone before was because I was desperate to correct the ideals you all became obsessed with in Teiko. It's true that I have faith in my teammates, but I also know when we've reached our limit and when I must act on my own accord." Kuroko said. "And besides…." Kuroko trailed off as he looked directly at Akashi.

"..If it's Akashi-kun, then you'll definitely find a way to fight back against the Zone if the moment calls for it. Because that's the kind of person Akashi-kun is." Kuroko said with a smile.

"…Tetsuya…" Akashi said with a smile that was a brilliant as Kuroko's.

"Just because you have not succeeded once does not make you a failure. Only when you've tasted what loss is like can you truly achieve success. That's something Kuroko taught all of us." Midorima said with a smirk as he looked to his right as Kuroko.

Afterwards, he shifted his gaze back to Akashi.

"And it's time you realized it to. Changing is a part of life, and that includes changing ideals too." Midorima continued.

"…Nevertheless, my father's orders are absolute. I am to stay indoors from 4:30 and to focus on my studies, regardless of what my grades are." Akashi destroyed the uplifted mood by reminding them of the one obstacle ahead of them still.

"….Can't you just explain it to him or reassure him that your grades will not suffer?" Kuroko asked with a frown on his face. But to his dismay, Akashi merely shook his head in denial.

"Who do you think I got my ideals from? That man has been living by these standards ever since he was a child himself. There's no way you can convince him that his ideals are flawed." Akashi said.

….

….

The three of them just sat in silence, unable to sum up a solution. Unless they could convince his father otherwise, nothing would change and their friendship with Akashi would most definitely suffer, forcing them to distance themselves from him.

"…Well there's no other choice." Akashi's and Kuroko's attention was drawn to Midorima, who suddenly spoke up. His face showed no expression as he adjusted his glasses with his taped fingers.

"We'll play by his book then." Midorima said. Akashi frowned, not comprehending what Midorima was getting at.

"…I don't understand, Midorima-kun. What exactly do you mean?" Kuroko said as he tilted his head in curiosity.

"I'm saying that we don't argue against his ideals, but rather convince him to allow Akashi to take a gamble." With that, Midorima looked directly at Akashi, who was giving Midorima his full attention.

"In order for this to work, you would need to guarantee him that you're grades will not suffer just because you do not dedicate all of your free time to studying. But of course if your grades do not reach his expectations…." Midorima trailed off with a grim expression on his face.

Akashi nodded his head in comprehension. If he could convince his father that his grades wouldn't suffer, then he might be able to lift this harsh order that was given to him by his father. But if the grades he receives seem as a failure to his father as a result, then God knows what his father would do.

"Hmph, you make it sound like you can convince him." Akashi said with a wry smile on his face. "…My father is not one who can be so gullible. His will is like an indestructible metal that cannot be bent."

"Hmph, we'll see about that." Midorima said as he narrowed his eyes.

_DING DONG_

Akashi immediately stiffened at the sound of the doorbell, signaling the arrival of his father. He got up with a grim expression on his face.

"…It seems we will…and sooner than any of us expected."

* * *

**Hello everyone! I'm truly sorry that I can't update regularly on a weekly basis on any kind of pattern as a matter of fact. I'm having difficulty finding the motivation to keep writing. That doesn't mean I'll discontinue, but that it'll take some time like right now to post chapters. **


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